ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s about that time of year once again in Dallas, free agency is in full swing and moves are already being made. With the Dallas Wings having some important holes to fill on their roster, the team must navigate around who is worth keeping and who could be a trade piece before the season begins. Each team is beginning a deeper look into whom they might draft, so it’s time to take a look at a few things the Wings should focus on for 2019.
Defensive Post Presence
The Dallas Wings are currently in a tricky situation and it is one we have not gotten an update on since it’s announcement in January and that being that Liz Cambage wants to be traded. Since that is up in the air, it time to search for some type of replacement. We do not know whether that replacement will come in the draft or in some trade package that may formulate, but the clock is ticking. The Wings have plenty of post players who can score the ball, meaning mainly Glory Johnson and Cayla George, who are likely to have added minutes if Cambage is gone. Nonetheless, defense on the inside will be needed without Cambage, who was 5th in blocks last season with 1.7 per game. Some players to keep an eye on from some D1 schools for the Wings in the draft if they decide to select a big, Teaira McCowan (South Caorlina), Alanna Smith (Stanford), Ae’Rianna Harris (Purdue), or Brianna Turner (Notre Dame).
Facilitator
One thing is almost certain going into this year and that is that the Wings will be without All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith due to pregnancy for at least half the season if not all. With a huge piece like Skylar missing, you must find a way to replace what she brings you on and off the court, which is a very tough task considering the person and player we know her to be. Skylar was 3rd in assists last season with 6.3 per game. It doesn’t necessarily have to be at the point guard position, but her ability to facilitate the basketball has to be an area of focus for the Wings to replace. No other player on the Wings had even three assists per game last season. It may just be as simple as more ball movement for Dallas, which could happen with a new coach, and moving the ball more could lead to those assists rising as well. Just to be safe though, lets look at some ladies coming into the draft that could be of some help in this regard. Players to look into would possibly be the likes of: Tiana Mangakahia (Syracuse) who currently leads NCAA in assists, Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), or Crystal Dangerfield (UCONN).
Floor General
A true floor general is one of the hardest things to find in the WNBA and NBA. Floor general essentially controls the flow of the offense and makes their teammates better, which generally are the high assist point guards and never the low assist. This need for the Wings could tie into the facilitator that they could use. This is not to say our current players are selfish ones with the ball, it just isn’t their strong suit. The league has less than a handful of floor generals and in this case it happens to be the top two on the league leaders in assists lists, as well as Skylar, those are: Courtney Vandersloot and Sue Bird. So, as you can see, a floor general is not easy to come by, it takes a truly unselfish and smart player to be considered one. Replacing this might also help with the teams consistency, along with of course the new coaching staff, so that the Wings aren’t in the same position as last year when they left fans constantly wondering when the inconsistency would end. Not many players going into the draft have floor general potentially, but here are a couple that might: Crystal Dangerfield (UCONN) or Jazzmun Holmes (Mississippi State).
“Well, it would definitely be influential on the talent level of our roster,” said head coach Brian Agler on the challenges of not having the Wings’ two all-stars. “It would definitely influence how we make up our roster, but like I said earlier, to achieve at a high level you have to establish an identity, you have to establish a culture. Those two things it doesn’t really matter who is here, that has to be established. So we hope that they’re here and apart of that, if for whatever reason they’re not, we still have to develop those two things.”
The Wings must establish a new culture with an all new staff, minus Erin Phillips who is returning from last years staff and with the new team as a whole, along with filling areas of need. With the all-time winningest coach in WNBA history picking out his prospects, I’d say we’re in good hands no matter what, in 2019 and for the future.
