Dallas Wings Issues Go Way Beyond Paige Bueckers Injury

First-year GM Curt Miller helped initiate an aggressive offseason, bringing in DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, and Tyasha Harris via trade before landing Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick.

But while excitement brewed around a new-look squad and a new head coach in Chris Koclanes, renowned for his work defensively as an assistant at both the professional and collegiate level, the Wings have struggled to put a product on the court that breeds optimism moving forward.

Injuries to Bueckers and Harris, the latter of whom has missed four straight games, certainly play a part in the recent tumble. However, Koclanes' blunt assessment of himself and his staff last night indicates that the troubles likely run deeper than a pair of wounded warriors.

An assistant at USC, Koclanes helped build a strong defensive system and the Trojans finished with the 18th best scoring defense in the NCAA during the 2023-24 season.

He enjoyed similar success as a defensive coordinator in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun led the league with 69.9 points allowed per game in 2021 and Koclanes' squads finished top three in scoring defense in every season from 2020 to 2023.

Yet defense has been far from a strength for the Wings thus far.

Dallas ranks second-to-last in scoring defense through nine games with 88.9 PAG, only ahead of the Chicago Sky (92.0 PAG).

Defensive woes plagued the Wings last season, who ranked dead-last in scoring defense and defensive rating, and it appears to be a major cause for concern once again.

The offense has fared better -- even with the recent dry spell, Dallas is still fifth in the league in PPG -- but it simply hasn't translated to the win column.

Like many other aspects of the Wings' on-court performance, the scoring is trending in the wrong direction.

Arike Ogunbowale has no doubt had her moments, highlighted by an unreal 37-point, 7-assist performance on May 27, but the four-time All-Star has struggled to do it with consistency. Through two games in the month of June, Dallas' top offensive engine has been limited to 8 points apiece, all the while shooting a combined 8-of-25.

Carrington has reached double figures in seven of nine games, including each of her last five, but her aggressive physical play has made her the subject of some controversy, creating outside noise that's only added to the chaos.

Simply put, the Wings seem to lack a structure and system that translates to winning basketball. Or at the very least the plan in place isn't being executed properly by the personnel on the floor, as the instances of purposeful play have been few and far between.

Bueckers has impressed when she's been on the court, and no doubt makes the Wings a more competitive squad.

Plus, it's worth wondering if some time off, whether it be now or during the All-Star break, could fuel an even stronger surge, a la Caitlin Clark last season—since Bueckers has essentially played nonstop, leading UConn to the national championship just two months ago.

But even Bueckers at her best cannot single-handedly compensate for issues that go deeper than simply roster talent. And of course she is still in the process of adjusting to the pros at the moment.

Perhaps it's simply a matter of a new roster and staff needing time to mesh. That said, the warning signs for the Wings are glaring right now.