There was always going to be some growing pains for this new-look Dallas Wings roster. The Wings dived into the market this offseason to assemble a team capable of supporting their talented backcourt duo of Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. Head coach Chris Koclanes was brought in to provide some direction. Veterans NaLyssa Smith, DiJonai Carrington, and Tyasha Harris were also signed.Â
Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, was the headline addition to the roster. The former UConn star came to the league fresh off a championship run with the Huskies, and with her big reputation, came high expectations.
Starting the season with back-to-back home losses was probably not the way Bueckers and the Wings envisioned beginning the 2025 campaign. Following their 79-71 loss to the Seattle Storm on Monday, Bueckers discussed the team’s shortcomings and how they can improve in the future.
Bueckers Addresses Offensive Concerns After Wings Put Up 71 Points in Loss To Storm
The Wings are currently last in the WNBA standings with a 0-2 record. Perhaps more concerning than the two losses is their lack of production on the offensive front.
Dallas is averaging just 77.5 points per game, the fourth fewest in the league. As a team, they are shooting 41.0% from the field and 27.3% from behind the arc, placing them in the bottom half of the standings in both categories.
On Monday, Koclanes’ team managed just 71 points against the Storm. It was a disappointing night with the team converting just 27 of their 73 shots. Following the game, Bueckers highlighted the team’s offensive struggles and believes that is one area where they need to improve moving forward.Â
“Just hunting shots more, hunting the paint more to create open opportunities for myself and my teammates,” Bueckers said.
Paige Bueckers on improving pic.twitter.com/iHAyokze8K
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The 23-year-old added that the Wings need to be better at protecting the ball, an issue that cost them in Monday’s loss. Dallas had 15 turnovers on the night and gave up 19 points off those turnovers.
The Wings will look to Bueckers and Ogunbowale to lead them to their first win of the season. Both players are capable of producing big games, but are off to sluggish starts for their high standards.
Ogunbowale, who averaged 22.2 ppg last season, is averaging just 14.5 ppg this season.
During her final season with the Huskies, Bueckers led the UConn roster with 19.9 ppg. In her WNBA debut against the Minnesota Lynx, she recorded just 10 points, shooting 3-of-10 from the field.
Bueckers did respond with a team-high 19 points in her second professional game against the Storm. That performance should provide some optimism and hope for a Wings fanbase that hasn’t had much to cheer about over the last two seasons.
