June will be a month the Dallas Wings will look forward to leaving. They ended May with a 3-3 record, and in June, they lost 11-straight games before finally ending the losing streak by beating the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday afternoon, 94-88.
With the streak over, the Wings have four wins, tying them with the Mystics and Sparks for the worst record in the WNBA. So, what now? Can they still have a productive season? Or, will this be the first time Dallas misses the playoffs since 2020?
Will Odyssey Sims save the Wings?
The biggest change between the 11-straight losses and Thursday’s win was the implementation of Odyssey Sims. She was signed on Wednesday, and by Thursday, she was leading the charge, scoring 18 points and helping the team win.
Sims only averaged two points per game in the 28 games she played for the Wings in 2023, but she was a double-digit scorer earlier in her career. She rewound the clock on Thursday and showed she still has much left to give to the game.
It’s unlikely she will play this well again, but this team needs to find production wherever it can. If Sims can be a spark off the bench, then you need to use her more and see if she can contribute to some more wins.
Health is wealth
Head coach Latricia Trammell can only make so many adjustments when the team has so many key players out due to injury.
Arike Ogunbowale did play in the win, scoring 23 points and dishing nine assists, but an Achilles injury is always scary. Add in other key players struggling with injuries, like Natasha Howard, Kalani Brown and Satou Sabally, who still has yet to make her season debut, and you can understand why this team has fallen short of its potential.
For the Wings, July will be about treading water until the Olympic break. Can they beat teams like the Dream, Sparks and Fever, and maybe surprise the Storm or Mercury to have a .500 month?
If Dallas can do that and get Sabally back in August, they can still fight for a playoff spot and make some noise in 2024. It may not seem like it now, but the Wings have a nice trio with Sabally, Ogunbowale and Howard. They just need to stay good enough for it to matter when the three finally can play together.