Flau'jae Johnson — drafted eighth overall by Golden State and traded to Seattle within hours of the 2026 WNBA Draft's conclusion — has quickly emerged as the frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year race before the regular season has even tipped off, with analysts pointing to her role as a primary ball handler on a rebuilding Storm team that lost its top five scorers as the clearest path to the award since Caitlin Clark in 2024. The four-year LSU star averaged 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds across 141 career games, won a national championship, and arrives in Seattle earning more than $300,000 under the new CBA — nearly four times what the No. 1 pick earned as a rookie last season. Her preseason debut produced a team-high 12 points in 23 minutes. We break down her full LSU career, the draft-night trade that stunned the basketball world, and why her path to the ROTY award may be the most direct in the entire class.