Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Arike Ogunbowale delivered a career-best 30-point performance in a win but is showing signs of decline this season.
- The Wings face a dilemma with a Ogunbowale whose production has dropped and whose role is unclear alongside younger talent like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
- The front office must decide whether to commit long-term or explore trade options that could better position the team for future contention.
On Friday night, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale had her best game of the season, scoring 30 points in Dallas' 104-96 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. On a night where the Wings defense wasn't playing at its usual level, the franchise's all-time leading scorer reached into her bag and had a huge game.
The problem is that these kind of games seem to be happening less and less often for Ogunbowale over the past two seasons, and she's also had some of the worst games of her career this season. Don't let Friday fool you: Dallas has an Arike problem that needs to be addressed.
The Wings need to figure out the Arike Ogunbowale thing
I tried. I tried to be a defender of the pairing between Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers. Yes, the fit seemed off, with two ball-dominant players who both were more combo guard than point guard, but it was going to work because of the talent, right?
Well, right, in theory. What went unaccounted for was that Ogunbowale would suddenly have a fairly sizable drop-off in production, with injury more of a factor than her changing role post-Bueckers. The Ogunbowale we watched for years in Dallas could have been a good (though maybe not great) fit with Bueckers, especially considering how she's grown as an off-ball option this season. The Ogunbowale we're watching now isn't, and that's especially true after the franchise invested in Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick in the draft. That's your backcourt of the future, which leaves Ogunbowale as ... what, exactly?
This season, the answer to that has been "a shooting guard forced to play out of position at the three," which hasn't worked. Her 33.8 percent shooting mark from the field is the lowest of her career, and she's shooting under 40 percent inside the arc for just the second time. Ogunbowale's efficiency has been a huge issue for Dallas at various times in the past, but the 2026 season has magnified that.
Additionally, there's the issue of timelines. The Wings have a backcourt comprised of the past two No. 1 overall picks, while Ogunbowale is 29 years old and has been in the league since 2019. If the Wings think they're a title contender right now with Ogunbowale, that's probably not a huge concern for the front office, but it seems clear from the outside that Dallas is still a piece or two away, and that moving a player who'll be 30 next year and is having her worst season seems like something to at least explore, right?
Bringing Ogunbowale back and betting that last season was a fluke was a fine decision. She's a franchise legend and she deserved a chance to show she could be part of the franchise's future as well. But a month into this new season, the math has changed. Ogunbowale needs to start playing closer to how she did on Friday night on a more consistent basis; otherwise, the Wings need to start thinking about what a future without Ogunbowale would look like.
The trade market might not be great for her at the moment, but there's bound to be a team willing to give up something of value in hopes she can bounce back, and if that "something" prepares the Wings for the future, the team will be in a better spot.
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