What does success look like for the Dallas Wings in the 2023 WNBA Season?

After a major offseason shake-up to their rotation, success might look very different for the Dallas Wings this WNBA season. 

What the heck is going on with the Dallas Wings? Isabelle Harrison, Marina Mabrey, Allisha Gray, Tyasha Harris and Kayla Thornton are out, Crystal Dangerfield, Natasha Howard and Diamond DeShields are in. I don’t think it’s too hot a take to say that that’s a net loss on the offseason.

Crystal Dangerfield is an undersized, inefficient guard; similar characteristics to Arike Ogunbowale but with significantly less volume. Diamond DeShields provides a bigger attacker on the wing and although she may be inconsistent and at times passive, she is a fine addition. Natasha Howard is a nice boost to fill the center position while Teaira McCowan sits but I don’t think any of these minor additions of value offset the talent that has left Dallas.

So the question remains; what the heck is going on with the Wings? Is answering this question enough to consider their 2023 campaign a success? Their past few seasons saw them tracking well for another solid step in 2023 and this gradual growth was proving to be of substance. Although they didn’t have the strongest roster going into the 2023 season, they had what few other experienced rosters had — continuity.

In the Ogunbowale era, the Wings have steadily improved their winning percentage each year, from 0.294 to 0.364 to 0.438 and finally to 0.500. They were in the driver’s seat to start this season in hot form and jump above .500 early. This would afford them some wiggle room as the season progressed and could provide the roster with great experience, especially in the playoffs. It would toe the line between competing now and preparing for the future perfectly.

Did the Dallas Wings set themselves up for a rebuild or a reset?

I can “coulda-woulda-shoulda” til the cows come home and it may be frustrating to recount the offseason that has passed but it sets the scene for the upcoming season. Where is this team going? It had a very clear direction with Ogunbowale, Mabrey and McCowan as well as some extremely dependable role players, but those role players are gone and Mabrey with them. They will need to reshuffle their core and reroute their franchise before success on the court becomes a relevant matter again.

When considering the trajectory that Dallas has been on over the past few seasons, it is only fair to assume that this team is built to win and grow. A rebuild would not be palatable for Wings fans nor the roster, so Dallas could be at serious risk of finding themselves in basketball purgatory at least for the next season.

But what would success look like? Getting the ship back on course and understanding who the core is would be the first step. Harris, Harrison, Gray, Thornton and Mabrey were all synonymous with the Dallas Wings. Mabrey and Ogunbowale often wore Marike shirts, indicating how tightly knit this team was, especially their young backcourt.

As for their overall play, this team was fifth worst in defensive rating last season and fourth-best offensively. Given their recent roster moves, they have seemingly become weaker on the defensive end so concessions will need to be made there, but offensively this team is extremely potent. There is no reason this team cannot have the best offense in the league and it’s something they should be striving for in 2023. A No. 1 offensive rating would undeniably be an indication of success for the Wings.

Rookie head coach Latricia Trammell has a no-brainer ahead of her; Teaira McCowan needs to start every game she plays in. No discussion needs to be had here, let’s move on.

Arike Ogunbowale should be looking to improve her shooting efficiency. She does an incredible job of putting the defense in compromising situations and reading these situations more carefully will lead to a better offense for Dallas. She doesn’t need to take more efficient shots, she needs to make more efficient plays. After a breakdown, she should have a passer’s mindset as this would help the Wings as a whole and would lead to her taking more efficient looks if no pass eventuates.

Bringing consistency and potency to an already strong Dallas offense should be atop the agenda for the Wings in 2023. Rebalancing after a shaky offseason and realigning the core for the next few seasons to follow may take some time, but it will be crucial if Dallas is looking to establish a foundation for long-term success.

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