The Dallas Wings are currently 5-3 and tied with the Portland Fire for the fourth-best record in the WNBA. Dallas has back-to-back very impressive wins against the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. Those two teams are perceived as the best in the league with their elite talent.
Offensively, the Wings are sixth in points per game at 88.9, fourth in field goal percentage at 46.6%, first in three-point percentage at 37.2%, first in offensive rating at 112.7, and fifth in true shooting percentage at 57.2%.
Defensively, Dallas is only 11th in defensive rating at 107.3, but fifth in opponents’ points per game at 84.8 points, 13th in opponents’ field goals made at 31.9, and 12th in opponents’ field goal percentage at 47.6%. The Wings are also seventh in opponent three-point percentage at 32.9, 12th in steals per game at 8.6, and 11th in blocks per game at 3.6.
In these last two games, Dallas has found the foundation of its future starting five, and it’s been an absolute joy to watch. Head coach Jose Fernandez now has a choice to make.
The Wings’ starting five begins with Paige Bueckers, who is already one of the best players in the WNBA and was named Rookie of the Year last season after being drafted first overall. Bueckers is one of the best scorers in the league already, with her silky-smooth mid-range jumper. Bueckers is also improving her three-point jump shot and playmaking behind the scenes and transitioning that to the games.
Bueckers saw her first game this season at point guard and finished with 20 points, three rebounds, and six assists. Even with that, Jessica Shepard was the primary playmaker. They clearly like her in a secondary playmaking role even without starting Odyssey Sims.
Dallas drafted Azzi Fudd first overall this season, paired her with Bueckers once again, and she’s been coming on recently with back-to-back efficient 20-point performances and some very underrated defensive plays.
Both of those games have come against the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, the two teams perceived as the two best in the league. Fudd was criticized by many for being the first overall pick because of her relationship with Bueckers, when in reality she is that good of a player. Fudd will be one of the best shooters to grace the league; we’ve already seen her shot-creation improve this season, and her defense is also incredibly underrated.
Jessica Shepard has also been outstanding, flirting with a triple-double seemingly in every game. She might not be a shooting factor, but she does everything else at a really high level. Shepard is one of the best playmaking bigs in the league, has a good touch around the rim, and is a good defender. Shepard is a really good connecting piece, and the exact veteran the Wings were looking for when they gave her a two-year $2.05 million contract this offseason.
Another key contributor is former number two overall pick Awak Kuier, who’s been coming off strong in her last two performances on both ends of the floor. Kuier hasn’t started a single game this season, but she’s finished games and been very impactful. Last night, Kuier outperformed A’ja Wilson in the fourth quarter, hitting multiple shots, getting stops, and grabbing rebounds against her.
Kuier had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 3/3 from the field, 2/2 from the three-point line, to give her a 100 FG% and a 133 TS% in 10 fourth-quarter minutes. Wilson only had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on 2/8 from the field and 0/1 from the free-throw line to give her a 25 FG% and 23.7 TS% in eight fourth-quarter minutes. Kuier had some nice defensive stops on Wilson. This included a huge sequence where she got a stop on her, got the rebound, and drained a wing three to give Dallas all of the momentum in the world.
The last person to mention here is Arike Ogunbowale, who’s a crafty player who can struggle with her efficiency. She struggled last night (1 point and 0/4 in her 18 minutes), but that’s what comes with the Ogunbowale experience. She’s a tough shot maker and a tough shot taker. Maybe sometime down the line the Wings could look to deal her in a trade for a defensive wing, but for now she’s here, and she’s impactful.
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This starting lineup works for the Dallas because of Shepard’s playmaking and downhill play, pieced together by Bueckers, Fudd, and Ogunbowale’s scoring prowess. Defensively, Kuier holds it down for them and gives them the two-way presence that they desperately need, and she’ll trade off with Alanna Smith.
All in all, so far, so good for the Wings. This is how you rebuild a team. Hit on basically every single one of your picks, especially early on.
Kuier took a lot of patience to get to this point including sitting out last season, and now they’ve been reaping in her benefits so far this season.
Dallas has had players like Smith struggle early on after securing a max contract, and can now rely on Kuier even more for the time being.
Bueckers and Kuier are 24, Fudd is 23, and Shepard and Ogunbowale are both 29. The future is now for the Wings, and they still have intriguing bench pieces, like potentially Smith, Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha James, and Sims.
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