Arike is not the problem. Here’s proof.
Through two games, the Wings have performed significantly better when Arike is on the floor than they have when she is not, so this narrative that the offense or the team as a whole is somehow worse because of her simply does not hold up to scrutiny. This fact is evident by looking at her on/off splits (via stats.wnba.com).
On court: 108.1 ORTG, 103.7 DRTG, 4.5 NETRTG
Off court: 91.7 ORTG, 114.3 DRTG, -22.6 NETRTG
Diff: +16.4 ORTG, -10.6 DRTG, +27.1 NETRTG
So, not only has the team been far better offensively with Arike on the floor (by 16.4 points per 100 possessions), but they’ve even been better on defense (by 10.6 points/100), adding up to a grand total of 27.1 points/100 better with her on the floor. That’s an enormous difference. At some point, you have to stop blaming her for every perceived issue with the team. She remains one of the two best players on the team and there’s a large gap between No. 2 and No. 3.
Also, there’s nothing wrong with her usage rating. It ranks 17th in the league among players that have played at least 20 minutes, which is right around where it should be. Plenty of her shots have come within the flow of the offense, and some of the ones that haven’t were the result of getting the ball dumped off to her late in the shot clock where she was forced to make something happen.