Jose Fernandez made quite the impression on WNBA fans in just his third game, and it didn't take long for him to be proven correct.
After the Dallas Wings' loss to the Minnesota Lynx, Fernandez called out his team's "selfishness" in the locker room. He cited a complaint about minutes but stopped short of naming names. He stated that that attitude needed to change if they wanted to maintain their championship aspirations.
A sizable segment of WNBA and Dallas fans weren't happy about Fernandez's comments, with some feeling like the first-year pro head coach overstepped his boundaries. This prompted Wings players to publicly defend Fernandez, even though they didn't really need to. They only needed to let their play do the talking.
Dallas' offense is back on track
After the loss to the Lynx, the Wings responded with a two-game winning streak, where they scored over 90 points. Paige Bueckers paced Dallas' offense with 18 points against the Washington Mystics and 24 points against the Chicago Sky.
Also, with a larger sample size, we're seeing how adaptable Fernandez can be. Alanna Smith struggled through the two-game stretch with fouls, and he's responded based on the matchup. Maddy Siegrist
and Awak Kuier each played 20 minutes against the fast-paced Mystics, but Li Yueru
was the favored bench forward as the primary defender on Kamilla Cardoso.
It showed there is room for more minutes in Fernandez's rotation depending on the matchup and how well you play. It's a fact that Wings players clearly understood when Fernandez called them out, and something that outsiders quickly learned.
There's room for improvement
The Wings are second in offensive rating through four games, but are 12th in defensive rating. They're still a favorable fifth in overall net rating, but the defense could improve and will be a key X-factor in becoming a legitimate championship contender.
Another factor Fernandez needs to figure out is his starting five. Odyssey Sims had a solid game in the season-opener against the Indiana Fever, but since then, she's been just fine.
It's inevitable that Azzi Fudd will overtake that starting position. Obviously, she was the No. 1 pick in this year's WNBA draft, and she's finally starting to find her shooting stride through Dallas' two-game win streak. Fudd's 3-point shooting hasn't been advertised, particularly in terms of volume, but she's served well as a third scoring guard behind Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale.
It will be interesting to see how Fernandez balances the Fudd, Sims and Aziaha James minutes, especially with the latter not reaching more than 10 minutes during the Wings' two-game win streak.
However, he's shown in a short time that he's someone who can be trusted and has the makings of a great WNBA coach.
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