By Jamal Baker
NDG Sportswriter
The Dallas Wings are riding a five-game win streak after defeating the Chicago Sky 96-91 at the American Airlines Center Sunday night.
Dallas improved to 15-8 on the season and have undoubtedly cemented themselves as a legitimate championship contender with the fourth-best record in the league.
How did a team with the worst record in the league last year make such a quick turnaround?
Let me explain.
Led by 2026 WNBA All-Star Starters Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard, the Wings have a roster full of talent that can adjust to any matchup at a high-level.
Need a bucket? The Wings have arguably the best scorer in the league in Bueckers, one of the most creative in Arike Ogunbowale and one of the deadliest three-point snipers in 2026 No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd.
What about defense? Fudd holds down the perimeter—averaging 1.7 steals per game and should receive All-Defensive Team honors this season as a rookie, while reigning 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith provides physicality on the interior.
Size and Rebounding? A frontcourt rotation of Shepard, Smith, Awak Kuier and Li Yueru provide a versatile quartet whose games all complement each other well.
Deep Bench? The Wings have everything you need off the bench with playmakers Odyssey Sims and Sug Sutton, scorers in Aziaha James and Maddy Siegrist and defenders in Alysha Clark and Smith.
“I just think there’s a great belief in each other and a great trust in each other,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “We can be down, and nobody gets worried or nervous because basketball is a game of runs. When we’re able to string stops together, that’s huge because of the offensive capability we have. We might be down seven or eight with six minutes left, but if we get three or four consecutive stops and score on three of those possessions, it’s going to be a tie game.”
I would be remiss if I also did not highlight the wonderful job Fernandez and his staff have done in getting the most out of this Wings squad.
Dallas now has an identity built on pace and space, versatility, star power, depth and team chemistry.
Bueckers is in the midst of an MVP caliber season while Shepard is an early front-runner for the Most Improved Player award.
Surrounding Bueckers with an abundance of talent has allowed her to take a tremendous leap in her second season—averaging 20.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 51.6% from the field and 38.1% from 3-point range.
In her first season with the Wings, Shepard has thrived in Fernandez’s system—recording three triple doubles already this season while averaging 15 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. She’s been a consistent force on both ends of the floor and by far the league’s most impactful free agent signing this past offseason.
If the Wings continue to defend at a high level and lean on the balanced style of play that has contributed to their success, they’ll enter the postseason not simply as a playoff team—but as one of the favorites to hoist the WNBA championship trophy.
