WNBA: Dallas Wings’ poor document was about greater than accidents

Final season, following incomes the No. 4 seed, sweeping their first-round playoff sequence and difficult the eventual champs within the semifinals, it appeared that the Dallas Wings have been ascendant.

A gifted workforce that had did not launch had lastly begun to attain their potential. Led by a pair of surefire stars, they seemed to be hovering towards the contender dialog, as the one workforce to earn a win over the league’s top-three groups—the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty and Connecticut Solar—throughout the 2023 season.

In 2024, the Wings crashed. They completed 9-31, good for eleventh place within the closing standings. In addition they had shedding streaks of 11 video games and 9 video games.

Though an abundance of accidents are partly accountable for Dallas’ devolution, the group—if it needs to rapidly return to a rising contender standing—can’t excuse well being as the one purpose for the workforce’s failings. The Wings’ 2024 season additionally revealed infrastructural weaknesses that, if not addressed, may see the 2023 season be the excessive level of the Arike Ogunbowale-Satou Sabally period of Wings basketball.

Right here’s extra on what when proper, what went flawed and what’s subsequent for the Wings:

What went proper in Dallas?

Photograph by Sam Hodde/Getty Photos

Arike remains to be Arike

Whereas justifiable criticisms will be levied towards Arike Ogunbowale’s sport, as she is a ball-dominant offensive participant who generally shoots first, second and third, the outcomes are simple. She is a one-woman dynamo, able to a carrying an offense via her three-level scoring. As was on full show on the 2024 All-Star Recreation, she’ll drain contested triples, hit nasty stepbacks and burn defenders off the dribble, seemingly gaining extra mastery because the makes an attempt turn out to be harder.

Simply six seasons into her WNBA profession, she’s already the main scorer in Wings franchise historical past. The workforce’s drop off this season was not as a consequence of a down 12 months from the four-time All-Star, as her manufacturing and percentages remained consistent with her profession averages. In brief, she is a centripetal star price persevering with to construct round.

Satou remains to be Satou

As is Satou Sabally.

After lacking all video games earlier than the Olympic break as she recovered from a shoulder harm, Sabally’s 15-game stint confirmed that she had not misplaced any of her shine. The 2023 Most Improved Participant exhibited an aggressive offensive mindset throughout her simply over 500 minutes performed. She fired up over 5.6 3s per sport and made greater than 45 % of them. If these numbers preserve over a bigger pattern dimension, she may attain one other stage of Unicorn-dom in 2025. Add in higher conditioning and cohesion with teammates, and Sabally ought to show why she belonged within the prime 10 of Swish Enchantment’s Hoopers Hierarchy.

Sheldon, Siegrist are keepers

The Wings have had a disproportionate variety of excessive draft picks over the previous half decade. Too a lot of them have failed to search out their footing with the workforce. The house-run picks of Ogunbowale and Sabally have been surrounded by strikeouts or singles.

The group’s final two prime picks—Maddy Siegrist (No. 3, 2023) and Jacy Sheldon (No. 5, 2024)—seem like strong doubles, if not triples.

Though a fluke finger harm restricted her to 27 video games, Siegrist confirmed the makings of a longtime fifth starter or tremendous sixth participant. Whereas she accepts her supporting function as a thankless employee, she’s additionally able to contributing a extra when known as upon, as she will be able to rating effectively contained in the arc.

As Edwin Garcia just lately wrote, Sheldon is the good puzzle piece. An athletic combo guard with defensive chops, she seems to be a great backcourt accomplice for Ogunbowale. She will be able to guard the opposite workforce’s greatest perimeter participant, power turnovers, push the ball in transition and assault a scrambling protection within the halfcourt. Her enchancment over the course of the season—from a skittish rookie to a participant snug in her beginning function—suggests she may need a good larger ceiling.

What went flawed in Dallas?

Photograph by Sam Hodde/Getty Photos

Protection

Throughout her 4 seasons as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks, protection was Latricia Trammell’s calling card. 4 Sparks would earn All-Defensive honors beneath her steering, whereas Candace Parker was the Defensive Participant of the Yr in 2020.

Final season, her first as head coach in Dallas, she was capable of induce modest enhancements on that finish. The Wings’ personnel limits the workforce’s defensive potential; she understood the significance of serving to them turn out to be strong sufficient.

This season, all these enhancements evaporated. Dallas not solely had the league’s worst protection, with a protection score of 111.7, but additionally the worst protection within the league because the 2020 Indiana Fever, which received six video games throughout the abbreviated Wubble season.

Extra protection (or lack thereof)

Scan via defensive statistics and Dallas is at (or close to) the underside of virtually each class. Wings’ opponents shot the best proportion from area and from 3. Dallas additionally bled straightforward buckets, giving up probably the most free throws, factors off turnovers, fastbreak factors and factors within the paint.

Within the 2023, the Wings owned the glass, main the league in rebounds. After grabbing virtually 73 % of protection boards final season, that quantity dropped to 68.5 % this season. Accordingly, after surrendering lower than 10 second-chance factors per sport final season, they gave up 11.4 second-chance scores this season.

These leaks on the margins contributed to Dallas’ flood of defensive points. Sure, accidents to Sabally, Siegrist and Natasha Howard, particularly, prevented Dallas from growing defensive connectedness. However, accidents don’t justify the workforce’s historically-pitiful efficiency.

What’s subsequent for the Wings?

Photograph by Sam Hodde/Getty Photos

Lotto luck!

For struggling via an injury-plagued season, the Wings shall be rewarded with two stabs on the No. 1 decide within the 2025 WNBA Draft. In return for sending Marina Mabrey to the Chicago Sky in 2023, Dallas obtained the appropriate to swap their 2025 first-round draft decide with Chicago. So, if the Sky win the 2025 draft lottery, their prime choice will belong to the Wings. The mixed lotto balls give the Wings a forty five.4 % probability of getting the No. 1 decide, and the appropriate to carry Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen or one other collegiate star to Texas. At worst, Dallas may have the No. 3 total decide within the upcoming draft.

Flash is gone. Will Satou keep?

Natasha Howard dismissed with any drama about her future. The unrestricted free agent ahead made it clear she is not going to be returning to Dallas. Though her two seasons in a Wings uniform is not going to be thought of Howard’s greatest years, she shall be tough for Dallas to interchange. When she’s rolling, her shifty put up strikes can stymie opponents, skills which can be enhanced by her respectable vary as shooter. And although Howard is not the quick-twitch defensive power she was with the Seattle Storm, shedding her above-average versatility on that finish actually is not going to alleviate the Wings’ defensive woes.

After signing a one-year contract as a restricted free agent final offseason, Sabally now could be an unrestricted free agent. Re-signing her (possible on one other one-year deal as a result of anticipated CBA expiration after the 2025 season) needs to be the Wings’ first, second, third and fourth precedence. Seeing her select one other WNBA house can be a catastrophe for Dallas.

Yr 3 for LT?

Till public readability is offered about Trammell’s future, whether or not or not she returns needs to be a query. It was reported that Trammell signed a three-year deal in 2023.

As Dallas had 5 coaches in six seasons earlier than hiring Trammell, an argument will be made that giving her extra time to construct a tradition is required. Alternatively, because the defensive-first head coach oversaw an terrible protection, believing (yet one more) new voice is want additionally is cheap. Trammell herself may make the choice if her former employer, the Sparks, comes calling after parting methods with head coach Curt Miller.