The Dallas Wings just haven’t been able to catch a break injury-wise lately. Azzi Fudd is out after undergoing knee surgery. Alanna Smith, who already struggled with injuries earlier in the season, got hurt during the World Cup. As if that wasn’t enough, Sug Sutton suffered a season-ending injury over the break, and Odyssey Sims went down in yesterday’s 97-77 win against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Jose Fernandez didn’t have an update on Sims after the game, but noted the positional problems an injury could cause.
“Proud of the group with everything that these guys have gone through,” Fernandez said in the postgame media availability. “Losing Azzi [Fudd], and Alanna [Simth] not being available, and Sug [Sutton] having a season-ending injury. Now, we’ll find out what’s the deal with O and where she’s at. So, then we’re going to have to figure out from a versatility standpoint who can play the point guard spot when Paige [Bueckers] is not on the floor.”
The Wings signed Kitija Laksa to replace Sutton, but she is a 3-point specialist on the wing, not a point guard. So, if Sims has to miss some time or enters the playoffs working through an injury, the Wings will have to ask a lot from Paige Bueckers.
Paige Bueckers isn’t a traditional point guard, but she’s played the role well for the Wings this season, averaging a team-high 5.8 assists. She’s also gotten plenty of help from Jessica Shepard, who averages 5.1 assists in the frontcourt and just recorded her fifth triple-double of the season.
If Sims’s injury is anything that requires her to miss time, the pressure on Bueckers to be a playmaker and scorer on the perimeter will increase notably. The same goes for Arike Ogunbowale, who will have to embrace a combo-guard role rather than focusing primarily on scoring at a high level.
Paige Bueckers’s first playoff appearance will be tough
After last season’s countless losses just making the playoffs is a huge accomplishment for the Wings. If they lose in the first round, they’re still right on track. And that’s not exactly unlikely. With all of their injuries and inexperience from players and coaches alike, the Wings are unlikely to beat the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, or Las Vegas Aces in a playoff series.
They are 0-4 against the Lynx and 0-3 against the Valkyries. While they beat the Aces twice in the regular season, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Becky Hammon are insanely difficult to beat in the playoffs.
Facing such a tough opponent won’t get any easier if Bueckers’s offensive load increases further because her backup is injured.
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