The Wings' postseason hopes were on the line until the final day of the regular season. Although Dallas (8-14) missed the playoffs for the third straight season, head coach Brian Agler and his staff considered the season, played entirely in the WNBA’s “Wubble,” a success. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Wings' 2020 season:
Ogunbowale is the team’s heart
Arike Ogunbowale just finished her second season in the WNBA, but she is way beyond her years on the court. She finished sixth in the league’s MVP voting and was named All-WNBA first team by The Associated Press after leading the league in scoring at 22.8 points per game. Her clutch performances kept Dallas in the hunt until the end. Teammate Marina Mabrey — who also played with Ogunbowale at Notre Dame — said what surprises her the most is how Ogunbowale can consistently get better as the season progresses.
Several times, Ogunbowale hit big shots when her team needed her the most — the biggest being against Washington in an important game to determine the tiebreaker for playoff contention. Ogunbowale made a 3-pointer from the right side with 1.5 seconds left in regulation, tied the score and forced overtime in a game Dallas would go on to win.
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 6, 2020
COLD.
(via @WNBA)pic.twitter.com/3dZRgCiOnv
Rookies show promise
Satou Sabally showed why Dallas drafted her No. 2 overall. Despite injuries that sidelined her midway through the season and a concussion that kept her out the last two games, Sabally was a workhorse for the Wings.
Sabally, who finished third in the league’s Rookie of the Year voting and made the AP’s all-rookie team, averaged 13.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Sabally joins Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart and others to average more than 12 points and seven rebounds as a rookie. She was the only rookie in the WNBA to have multiple double-doubles.
Ty Harris, who was the No. 7 overall pick, earned starts at the end of the season and was able to hit big shots. She can become a big contributor.
Bella Alarie, drafted No. 5 overall, at times played like a rookie. The Princeton product came into her own late in the season, blocking several shots.
Injuries take toll
Dallas was riddled with injuries. At one point during the final game the Wings were down to six available players. Moriah Jefferson, who spent her first season with the Wings rehabbing instead of playing, injured her left knee (not the knee she had previously injured) and missed the remainder of the season. Jefferson has played in nine games in her two seasons with Dallas.
Isabelle Harrison suffered an ankle injury that ended her season early. Harrison played in 13 games, averaging 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. With both veteran players out, Dallas counted on some of its younger players. In the third to last game, the Wings lost Sabally and veteran Allisha Gray to injuries.
Sabally collided with Seattle’s Sue Bird midway through the fourth quarter and never returned to the game, and she would go on to miss the last two regular-season games. Gray suffered a knee injury at some point after the Seattle game and missed the final two games.
Offseason additions pay off
Marina Mabrey arguably became one of Dallas' most important pieces down the stretch. The second-year player who joined Dallas from Los Angeles via trade became one of the biggest names on the team. Mabrey averaged 10.4 points this season as compared with her 4.0 last season with LA. Mabrey had been considered for most improved player in the league.
Katie Lou Samuelson, who was traded to Dallas by Chicago and was the No. 4 overall pick in 2019, also showed major improvement. Samuelson played in every game, averaging 20 minutes.
Room to grow
One of the biggest places Dallas struggled the most was in closing out games. More often than not, the Wings allowed the opposing team to come back into the game, which often led to a loss. In many cases, the third quarter seemed to be the area where Dallas struggled the most to score or keep opponents from scoring.
The Wings own picks No. 4 (depending on the lottery), No. 5 (via trade with Washington), No. 7 (via trade with Chicago), No. 13 (via trade with New York) and No. 16 overall in the 2021 draft.
