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DHJ Quick Take: Key Takeaways from a Physical Home Opener

Fudd Ruled Out: After being listed as probable (right knee) on the initial injury report, Azzi Fudd was downgraded to out. Without the sharpshooter, Dallas was tasked with adjusting for the first time this season without the No. 1 pick in the lineup.

Offensive Variance: Following a record-setting night in Indiana, Dallas shot just 15.4% (4-of-26) from deep. Jose Fernandez attributed the slump to periods of “stagnant” ball movement and a failure to trigger second actions. The team will study game film on Wednesday.

The Reese Effect: Angel Reese heavily impacted the margins with 8 offensive rebounds. Despite pre-game emphasis on “team rebounding,” Atlanta’s 16 second-chance points proved the difference in a five-point contest.

Kuier’s Versatility: Awak Kuier provided a major spark off the bench with a team-high +9 rating. Her comfort in Fernandez’s “European-style” offensive sets suggests her role will grow as the team navigates backcourt injuries.

Milestone Watch: Paige Bueckers became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 200 career assists (38 games), surpassing the mark during the first half.

Open link for full game recap.

Ahead of tip-off, Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard met with reporters at shootaround to preview the matchup against an Atlanta roster that returns All-Stars Allisha Grayand Rhyne Howard, and added Angel Reese in an offseason trade with the Chicago Sky. Brionna Jones is listed as out with a right knee injury. Reese opened her Dream tenure with her 50th career double-double, posting 11 points and 14 rebounds in a 91-90 win over the Minnesota Lynx.

Smith addressed the team approach to limiting Reese on the glass, the Wings’ defensive ceiling as the group continues to build chemistry, the adjustment to early-season officiating after Dallas dealt with foul trouble in the opener, and the playmaking impact** **Shepard provided in the win over Indiana.

Shepard previewed the challenge of defending Atlanta’s perimeter-heavy attack, the importance of taking away Reese’s energy plays and second-chance opportunities, and how the Wings plan to handle the Dream’s ball pressure. She also detailed the early development of her pick-and-roll chemistry with reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.

Note: Open article to watch the full interviews. If you can’t see the videos, you may need to turn off your ad blocker.

On Saturday, the Dallas Wings netted 107 points, the most ever in a WNBA opening game. Later that night, the Atlanta Dream dropped 91 points in their comeback win, doing so after scoring just 37 points in the first half.

In short, Tuesday night’s matchup between the Wings and Dream in Dallas could be an offensive explosion (8 p.m. ET, WNBA League Pass).

Dallas’ opening day offensive outburst was driven by their starting guard trio of Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Buecekrs and Odyssey Sims, all of whom scored at least 20 points on better than 53 percent shooting. Plus, Aziaha James served as fourth scoring guard, with 10 points on 60 percent shooting from the bench.

As a team, Dallas shot almost 60 percent from the field, and over 50 percent from 3. Yeah, that’s unsustainable.

But, there are reasons to be confident in what Dallas did.

The Wings racked up all those buckets around the basket and behind the arc, achieving an analytically-optimal shot profile. Only Bueckers did her work in the midrange, as she should have permission to do. Even as both Ogunbowale and Sims are streaky scorers, that head coach Jose Fernandez has coaxed them into taking more-efficient shots—cause they’re going to keep taking shots—is encouraging.
Yet, the Wings guards can expect to encounter more resistance on Tuesday.

While the Dream did allow the Lynx to score 90 points, they limited Minnesota to 38 points in the second half, effectively containing both Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams. The combination of Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard can matchup pretty well with whatever three-guard group Dallas deploys. Plus, Atlanta, in contrast to the Indiana Fever, has two, not just one, solid post defender in Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon, both of whom can potentially make it harder for Jessica Shepard to serve as a playmaking hub. If Alanna Smith is stationed as stretch big, both Reese and Hillmon also can comfortably defend her away from the basket.

When Atlanta’s offense came to life in the second half in Minnesota, it was not due to the 3-ball. One of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in W last season, the Dream shot less than 25 percent from 3, making only one of their 11 second-half attempts. Instead, Atlanta attacked the basket and earned their way to the foul line.

And, as would be expected of the team that now employs Angel Reese, the Dream dominated the glass. Atlanta secured over 60 percent of available boards in their win, with Angel grabbing 14 total, including nine o-boards.

Although Atlanta certainly would like to see their 3s fall, the Dream can exploit the Wings with a similar script.

Dallas has multiple defenders vulnerable to foul trouble; on the perimeter, both Ogunbowale and Sims ended the opener with five, while, in the frontcourt, Smith was limited to less than 20 minutes due to instant foul trouble and Shepard also finished with five. (Or maybe Wings fans want Arike and Odyssey to get in foul trouble to open up more minutes for Azzi?)

The Wings’ foul vulnerability could be exacerbated by their rebounding vulnerability, as, in their effort to keep Angel off the glass, they could end up hacking her.

If the second-half Dream show up on Tuesday, they should have the advantage. However, Paige is Paige and, even if their opening explosion is not replicable, these are not last season’s Wings.

What’s your assessment? Can the Dream go into Dallas and give the Wings a reality check? Or, will the opposite occur, with the Wings flexing their firepower on Atlanta?

Overreaction number one is that the Dallas Wings are officially world beaters and WNBA title contenders.
Yes, it’s one game against the Indiana Fever and there’s a lot of season ahead. But there’s three takeaways that I had from that Saturday opener on ABC that give me reason to irrationally buy in after one small sample size.

For starters, Arike Ogunbowale is working in this system. For years, the Notre Dame graduate has put up gaudy numbers on a team that either was lottery bound or hanging somewhere around the middle of the playoff pack. At no point in the last five years would you have been a fool for asking if the veteran guard was just a usage merchant or if she was really just waiting for a star to join her in Dallas.

After one game, she and Paige Bueckers looked perfectly in sync, slowing down Caitlin Clark on the defensive end while combining for 42 points on the other end. What has to make you feel good as a Wings fan is Arike’s efficiency and distribution. Add that to Jess Shepard looking like a more-than-serviceable frontcourt centerpiece and you’ve got a starting five that can clearly compete with the top half of the WNBA.

There’s obvious kinks to work out. Alanna Smith got into early foul trouble and was a nonfactor in the season opener. Fudd similarly was pretty quiet as well. But if game one is often used as an indictment on whether or not a system looks like it’s working well, then Dallas passed with flying colors. If this is the baseline, then we can have the Wings as title contender conversation.

Spamming multiple posts and comments crashing out about how we should trade your favorite player after a single game will result in a ban. This is a subreddit for fans of the Dallas Wings basketball TEAM. It is not a Stan sub for an individual player.

Edit: To anyone that actually thinks Koclanes was a better coach than Fernandez, please have your carbon monoxide levels in your home checked ASAP.