DiJonai Carrington

DiJonai Carrington’s growth over her four years in Connecticut should be studied. As a rookie, she played just 9.2 minutes per game for the Sun, but last year Carrington started 39 games and won Most Improved Player. She also finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Now, Carrington finds herself in Dallas, part of a multi-team deal that landed the Wings Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith. With the Wings expected to start Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt, it’s clear what Carrington’s role will be with the Wings: guard the primary ball-handler as much as possible while settling in for catch-and-shoot looks on the other end.

Carrington has to prove she can get back to her 2023 shooting form, when she knocked down 37.1 percent of her 3-point looks, and not continue her poor shooting from 2024, when she hit just 25.0 percent of shots from deep. In a lower usage role, she should be able to manage that, or at least get back in the 30-plus percent range. She’s going to be a crucial cog in the Wings system and will have to cover for a number of defensive issues the team will likely have on the perimeter.