‘It’s Showing on the Court’: Arike Ogunbowale’s Post-Break Rhythm Is Lifting the Dallas Wings

Arike Ogunbowale never lets her voice waver, even when her shot does. The Dallas Wings guard returned just before the All-Star break from a torn ligament in her left thumb—a painful injury that caused her to miss four games and altered her feel for the ball. In her first two games back, she looked out of sync. Ogunbowale shot a combined 3-of-22 from the floor and managed just 11 total points across both outings.

Still, her tone never shifted.

“There’ve been worse days,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com following her return. “Me sulking or being upset isn’t gonna get us anywhere. I’m always gonna be positive.”

Fast forward one week after the All-Star break, and she’s doing more than leading with positivity—she’s returned with a rhythm that’s reshaping the Wings’ offense.

Since the break, Ogunbowale has scored at least 16 points in four straight games, averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals across 32.0 minutes per game. She’s visibly steadier, more controlled—and notably, more comfortable letting the game come to her.

Her 20-point, 14-assist performance in Monday’s 92–82 win over the New York Liberty was the clearest evidence yet. It was her first double-double of the season, a career high in assists, and tied the WNBA’s single-game assist record.

“I’m not sure—I’ve played a lot of games—but it’s in that conversation,” Ogunbowale said when asked if it was her most complete performance as a decision-maker. “It was a career-high in assists, so probably. My teammates were knocking everything down. It was great team basketball.”

Arike Ogunbowale Makes History Against the New York Liberty

Ogunbowale became the first player in franchise history to record a points-assists double-double in a single half, tallying 15 points and 10 dimes before the break. She’s just the third player in league history to reach that milestone and only the second in franchise history to post a 20-point, 10-assist game with one turnover.

That efficiency didn’t go unnoticed.

“For me, it wasn’t about my performance—it was about Arike’s,” rookie guard Paige Bueckers said. “She had 20 points, 14 assists, only one turnover. Playing within the offense, on both ends of the floor. We’ve talked about controlling what we can, staying focused. It’s not always pretty, but tonight’s story should be about her.”

Wings head coach Chris Koclanes agreed, calling it a clear marker of Ogunbowale’s maturity as a leader and her ability to adapt through injury and adversity.

“Just incredibly proud of her resolve,” Koclanes said. “It’s a long season. To hear how levelheaded she and Paige are—that’s encouraging as a coach. Arike’s been calm, letting the game come to her, making simple decisions, trusting teammates. Proud of her for stringing good games together.”

How Simplicity Brought the Dallas Wings Together

Before the break, Dallas had begun dialing back its offensive complexity. With injuries, roster turnover, and chemistry still developing, the staff focused on spacing, tempo, and playing with instinct. It was a welcome adjustment for Ogunbowale and has led to the Wings producing 23.6 assists per game (2nd) since the break.

“Just simple actions. We know where we want the shots coming from,” Ogunbowale emphasized to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “There isn’t any confusion, and I think we’re all on the same page. We’re all making the extra pass—wanting each other to eat. And that’s just great basketball.”

Bueckers recently pointed to noticeable growth in the team’s feel for the game, emphasizing sharper timing on off-ball movement, more controlled passing in tight windows, and a better sense of when to speed things up or pull it back. That progression, she explained, has helped the offense operate with more flow and reduced the need for constant isolation play.

“We’re not forcing anything on offense — changing sides of the floor, passing up good shots for great shots, getting paint touches that allow for outside kickout threes,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Obviously, in a full 40-minute game, people are gonna take some tough shots, but really, at a minimum, things have been forced. A lot of our field goals have been assisted. So it’s just been great movement — with our pace and spacing.”

Ogunbowale, along with Bueckers, has embraced the emphasis on player movement. Whether cutting and making the defense react or simply commanding attention as a screener or spacer, both stars understand that the offense will often gain an advantage.

“We draw a lot of attention—whether we have the ball or we don’t. So just us staying on the move opens things up for our other players,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Then defenses have to help on them, and that gets us open again. So it’s like we’re all on a string.”

With Bueckers and Ogunbowale in the backcourt, the Wings have found success by leaning into read-and-react actions, especially in dribble handoffs and simplified sets where both guards are used as screeners and off-ball threats. Their ability to draw defenders creates space for others, and their timing on cuts and decisions off the catch has added fluidity to the offense. By embracing shot quality and a less complicated structure, they’ve helped the system function more efficiently.

“Off the ball, Arike and Paige both have a lot of gravity. They’ve grown more comfortable being screeners and cutters,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “You’ve probably noticed we’ve gotten more backdoor cuts, and they’re setting screens that lead into actions for themselves and others. She can hit the tough shots, no doubt — but if we play with pace and keep things simple, we can get her easier ones so she doesn’t have to work as hard.”

The Ogunbowale-Bueckers Connection: “We’ve Been Really Intentional About It”

At the heart of Dallas’ resurgence is the evolving chemistry between Ogunbowale and Bueckers—two guards with elite scoring instincts who are learning to elevate one another.

“I think it’s more communication,” Ogunbowale said. “We made it a point to just communicate with each other more, pick each other up if we see something going on. Just building that relationship and that chemistry—knowing we’re kind of two leads on this team and a lot goes through us—so we have to be on the same page. We’ve been really intentional about it.”

Bueckers, who has scored at least 20 points already in 10 games this season, has made strides as a vocal leader and off-ball creator.

“The way I try to make everyone around me better—using my voice, being a leader, calling huddles, communicating,” Bueckers said. “I’ve grown more confident in being a leader on the floor. Even though I’m a rookie, we all just want to win, and all of our voices matter.”

Their mutual trust is translating on the court. Bueckers praised Ogunbowale’s playmaking, decision-making under pressure, and gravity without the ball—qualities that she’s learning from.

“Arike’s been handling doubles since she got in the league,” Bueckers said. “As a rookie, I’m learning how to handle that—how to hit the short roll. She’s been great to learn from.”

Bueckers also credited Ogunbowale’s gravity—not just her ability to draw top defenders but also her willingness to trust teammates when that attention comes. Her shooting gravity has been on display, even when she’s not drawing two defenders.

“Arike is going to face the toughest defender every night,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Just by being on the floor, she creates space and opportunities for her teammates. Then, with how she can create off the dribble, off down screens, pin screens, flare screens — she’s a huge weapon. I think her playmaking is underrated, too. She often draws two and still makes the right play.”

Koclanes sees their connection deepening with every rep.

“They’re getting closer and more intentional,” Koclanes said. “They’re ignoring outside narratives and focusing on what they can control together. It’s a special relationship in the making.”

Growing Connection with Luisa Geiselsöder

The streamlined offense has also unlocked connections across the roster. Ogunbowale’s pick-and-roll rhythm with Luisa Geiselsöder has grown game by game. Their two-player action has become one of the Wings’ most effective sequences as Ogunbowale draws two and makes the simple play, hitting the short roll.

“She brings that European swag,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “She’s really smart and savvy. She makes the right reads. She’s a rookie, but she’s older and has been playing pro, so we trust her to make good decisions.”

Geiselsöder, who tied her career-high with 14 points against New York, credited Ogunbowale for putting her in position to thrive.

“I definitely think confidence,” Geiselsöder told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “And then I think teamwork—just how we moved the ball. I got open because of that. I knocked them down today. I mean, all my shots were from an assist from somebody. So it’s nice that we see how good we are at team basketball and how good we are getting at passing the ball.”

Arike Ogunbowale Providing Leadership Through Ups and Downs

Ogunbowale’s post-break efficiency tells one story. Her poise before it tells another. In her first game back on July 13, she went 0-of-10 from the field in a loss to Indiana. But her impact, leadership, and energy resonated with teammates, especially Bueckers.

“It might not have been her night shooting the ball,” Bueckers said, “but the way she continued to stay in the game, not let it affect her effort on both ends of the floor, like her being a leader of this team — that was huge for me to be able to see that. We’ve talked about it as individuals, just having one-on-one conversations of how we want to stay unaffected through the refs, through the missed calls, through missed defensive possessions. And so I just want to give a shoutout to her because it wasn’t her night shooting the ball, but I thought the way she stayed within the game — that’s a winning trait.”

Ogunbowale didn’t deflect the struggles. But she understood her role went beyond her stat line.

“Like you said, I’m a vet, I’m a leader,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “There’ve been worse days. But this is a lot of rookies’ first season, and it’s just a new team. Me sulking or being upset isn’t gonna get us anywhere. I’m always gonna be positive.”

Chris Koclanes on What Comes Next: “One Day at a Time”

As the Wings prepare for a home game Wednesday night against the Atlanta Dream, Koclanes emphasized what’s made the recent progress possible, pointing to communication, chemistry, and simplicity.

“We’ve come a long way and still have a long way to go,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com after Saturday’s practice. “But if you listen to that postgame press conference with Paige and Arike, everything they talked about was team basketball—moving the ball, working together to get the right shot.”

Even amid a fourth-quarter scoring drought against New York, the Wings held on. Koclanes credited his team’s willingness to adjust to zone defense and play through discomfort.

“Playing with a lead is tough,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “The zone added a layer—shot clock, rhythm, second-guessing. It took us out of rhythm. Credit to New York for fighting. We made enough plays to pull it out.”

He’s especially proud of Ogunbowale’s execution—not just in numbers, but in mindset.

“She’s been making simple decisions post-break,” Koclanes said. “Tonight we hit more shots, so the assists added up. She’s keeping her eyes up and trusting teammates.”

Taking the Next Step

At 8–19, Dallas isn’t fixated on the standings. The focus is internal. Ogunbowale, Bueckers, and the entire group are embracing the idea of staying present.

“We beat Seattle, then lost to Valkyrie and the Aces,” Ogunbowale said. “So it’s game to game. This was a great win, but Wednesday’s a whole new challenge. They play differently. We have to lock in. Like Paige said, momentum’s kind of a myth—it’s about being present and taking it one game at a time.”

Bueckers agreed, adding that this group’s growth since the break is only the beginning.

“It just took some time,” Bueckers said. “We knew it wasn’t going to happen right away.”

But now, it’s happening—and Arike Ogunbowale is leading the way.

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