The Dallas Wings’ disappointing begin to the season continued on Saturday afternoon with simply their worst loss but, a 28-point embarrassment in opposition to the last-place Washington Mystics. Now 3-12 on the season, the Wings have misplaced 10 video games in a row and their hopes of creating the playoffs are already fading away.
Lower than a 12 months in the past, the Wings have been battling the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces within the semifinals of the playoffs and had simply posted their first 20-win common season since 2008. With a brand new coach and two younger stars, they seemed to be a crew on the rise. Now, they’re one of many worst within the league.
Because the mid-way level of the season approaches, it is price analyzing the way it’s all gone fallacious in Dallas.
Accidents, accidents, accidents
Dangerous harm luck is the basis of the entire Wings’ issues, and it began earlier than the season.
In February, reigning Most Improved Participant and First Workforce All-WNBA honoree Satou Sabally damage her shoulder whereas enjoying for the German nationwide crew in an Olympic qualifying event in Brazil. She ended up needing surgical procedure and isn’t anticipated again till after the All-Star break in August — although she will even play for Germany in Paris. Sabally is the Wings’ finest participant and there is no changing what she does on either side of the ball.
Regardless of Sabally’s absence, the Wings beat the Chicago Sky on opening night time, an indication that they could be capable to hold in there till she returned. Within the course of, nevertheless, former Defensive Participant of the 12 months Natasha Howard broke her foot and promising rookie Jaelyn Brown fractured her nostril. Howard, who was coming off top-of-the-line seasons of her profession, ended up lacking 12 video games earlier than returning on June 20. Brown has not performed since.
One of many silver linings of the harm points was that second-year ahead Maddy Siegrist was compelled into a much bigger position and had been excelling. Then, earlier this week she fractured her finger in a loss to the Minnesota Lynx and can be out eight weeks after present process surgical procedure.
Even Arike Ogbunowale had a one-game absence resulting from a sore Achilles tendon.
For a lot of the season, the Wings have been with out Sabally and Howard, two of their top-three scorers from final season and their two most versatile defenders. Collectively, they mixed for 39.8 factors, 16.1 rebounds, seven assists, 3.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per recreation final season, and missed simply three mixed video games. Dallas could have been capable of face up to shedding one in every of them for an prolonged interval, however each of them was an excessive amount of to take care of.
A disappearing protection
As soon as upon a time, once they have been nonetheless the Detroit Shock, the franchise gained three titles and made 4 Finals appearances in six seasons on the again of excellent protection. Since leaving the Motor Metropolis, nevertheless, that facet of the ball has been a significant concern.
In 15 seasons, first because the Tulsa Shock and now because the Dallas Wings, the group has by no means ranked larger than eighth within the league in defensive score.
|
2010 |
107.2 |
eleventh |
|
2011 |
106.2 |
twelfth |
|
2012 |
104.9 |
eleventh |
|
2013 |
100.7 |
eleventh |
|
2014 |
106.1 |
twelfth |
|
2015 |
100.5 |
eleventh |
|
2016 |
108.5 |
twelfth |
|
2017 |
107.6 |
eleventh |
|
2018 |
105.0 |
eighth |
|
2019 |
101.6 |
tenth |
|
2020 |
108.0 |
eleventh |
|
2021 |
103.0 |
eighth |
|
2022 |
104.3 |
ninth |
|
2023 |
103.5 |
eighth |
| 2024 | 105.4 | eleventh |
Fixing the crew’s protection was one of many large targets for head coach Latricia Trammell when she took over forward of final season, and there had been some constructive indicators. This season has seen them take a couple of steps again, largely due to the accidents and different personnel strikes.
Sabally and Howard have missed intensive time, whereas Awak Kuier, one other lengthy, athletic ahead, is taking the season off for private causes, and Veronica Burton, one in every of their higher perimeter defenders, was waived throughout coaching camp. There is not any treatment for shedding that a lot defensive expertise, particularly whenever you’re already one of many least skilled groups. For a lot of the season, the Wings have solely had 4 energetic gamers with multiple 12 months of expertise, and it was solely that many as a result of they signed Monique Billings to a hardship contract.
It hasn’t helped that the Wings have been a turnover machine on offense and are getting crushed on the defensive glass, which is permitting different groups to rack up simple buckets. They’re permitting 19.5 factors per recreation off turnovers, 12.3 fastbreak factors, 16.9 second-chance factors and 40.8 factors within the paint, and rank final within the league in all 4 classes.
No assist from the schedule makers
The Wings’ accidents have been at all times going to make the primary 5 weeks of the season troublesome, however their robust latest schedule has magnified the problem. Throughout the 10-game shedding streak, they’ve performed the Connecticut Solar and Minnesota Lynx twice every, the Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm, and 6 of the ten video games have been on the street.
As stunning because the blowout loss to the Mystics was on Saturday, it was the third recreation of a four-game street journey, and the center of a three-games-in-four-days stretch. Even with Howard again now, it is a weary crew operating low on confidence. One other contest with the Mystics on Sunday will present one of the best likelihood to finish this skid. After that, they’re proper again into the thick of it with matchups in opposition to the Lynx, Storm and Mercury comprising their subsequent 4 video games.
That is already tied for the fifth-longest shedding streak in franchise historical past, and it’s totally doable it rises even larger within the subsequent few weeks. If there’s any excellent news, it is that they are nonetheless a protracted methods away from the WNBA’s all-time file of 20 consecutive losses, which they set themselves in Tulsa in 2011.
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