'You Can Feel an Energy': Dallas Wings Reshape Frontcourt and Identity After NaLyssa Smith Trade

Geiselsöder, who played a leading role for Germany during EuroBasket, had been one of the Wings’ most efficient two-way players before the break. After totaling just seven minutes across her first two games of the season, she averaged 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks over her final five appearances before departing.

“I watched some games while I was away, and you could see the improvement,” Geiselsöder said. “I just want to step back in and help the team continue finding that flow. We can stretch the floor or work inside. If we find that inside-outside game, we’re going to be unstoppable.”

Li Yueru’s Emergence Adds New Dimension

Head coach Chris Koclanes said the reinforcements allow Dallas to embrace a frontcourt-led identity fully.

“We definitely have to play inside-out,” Koclanes said. “It’s good balance now. We know we have dynamic guards, and now we’ve got T coming back, Luisa, you’ve got Li there, Myisha — good size in the post. So, you know, just gotta be intentional about getting the ball down there and making people have to defend us without fouling. Right? We’ve struggled to defend without fouling, but we’ve gotta see if teams can guard us without fouling.”

Yueru, acquired from Seattle on June 14, has impressed in an expanded role during McCowan and Geiselsöder’s absence. In her last five games, she’s averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, bringing size and vision to the frontcourt while forming early chemistry with rookie point guard Paige Bueckers.

“She’s a tremendous screener, has underrated feet, and can stretch the floor,” Miller said. “You already see her bonding with Paige — it’s a big lift for us.”

Koclanes said Yueru’s skill set has allowed the Wings to effectively emphasize high-low actions.

“High-low, yeah, it’s just simple basketball that is extremely hard to guard when you have the personnel,” Koclanes said. “So we’ve got good post passers from the perimeter in Myisha and Luisa, and you’ve got some good size down low in Teaira and in Li. And so, you know, you play inside-out, and if they’re gonna stay home on the perimeter, then we can play one-on-one down there. And then as soon as the defense starts to collapse more, now it opens things up on the perimeter. So just finding the balance.”

Defined Roles Signal Hope for Turnaround

Miller acknowledged that part of the decision to trade Smith was to create a more sustainable minute distribution and clearer roles for Geiselsöder and Hines-Allen.

“The unintended consequence of trying to maneuver through five post players that can all deserve minutes, that all would’ve liked to play — our move now opens up even more minutes for Luisa, opens up minutes for Myisha,” Miller said. “So I look forward to watching those four in our rotation in the post.”

Even with the trade positioning Dallas for future flexibility, Miller emphasized that the Wings are still focused on competing in the present.

“I think two things can be true,” he said. “We are going to compete and put ourselves in a position to try to win each and every night. At the same time, there’s already tons of work going on behind the scenes — in preparation for an unprecedented free agency coming up. There’s already work being done even though the collegiate season’s not in season — at looking and preparing and talking about the next couple drafts. So there’s always an eye on the future. But at the same time, we are trying to put our team in a position to win and win right away.”

Dallas has won four of its last six games after starting the season 1–11. With a healthy frontcourt rotation and more defined roles, the team hopes its foundation is finally in place.

“We didn’t have a great first quarter of the season,” Miller said. “We were 1–11. We’re now 4–3 in the second quarter and had a chance to go 7–0. We’ve turned some things around, but there’s more to go. They’ve embraced a next-person-up mentality. They’ve stayed together through a really challenging stretch, and I think they’ve found something in that adversity.”

The Wings will return to practice on Wednesday before hosting the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night at College Park Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.