DHJ Quick Take: Awak Kuier’s Historic, Perfect Shooting Night Sparks Wings’ Bench
- A Franchise Shooting First: Forward Awak Kuier carved out a unique spot in Dallas franchise history on Friday, scoring a career-high 16 points on a flawless 6-of-6 shooting night from the floor. She is the first player in Wings history to execute a perfect shooting performance with multiple 3-point attempts (2-of-2) mixed in.
- The Third-Quarter Resurgence: Trailing by 13 at the half against the Atlanta Dream, Kuier completely took over the third period. She poured in 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 clip during an intensive 11-4 Dallas surge that temporarily erased the deficit and allowed the Wings to take a brief fourth-quarter lead.
- The Ultimate Impact Metric: Despite the eventual 86-69 loss, Kuier’s length and active interior rotation earned her a team-high plus-8 plus-minus in 17 minutes off the bench. Her seasonal plus-32 plus-minus leads the entire roster, showcasing her hyper-efficient production in condensed rotation windows.
- European Refinement Pays Off: The 2021 No. 2 overall pick credited her expanded physical toughness and defensive readiness to a highly competitive full-time overseas stint in Europe, where matching up against world-class frontcourt stars accelerated her read-and-react habits alongside teammate Jessica Shepard.
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Awak Kuier scored a career-high 16 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, in the Dallas Wings‘ 86-69 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Friday at Gateway Center Arena.
Kuier added 4 rebounds and a block in 17 minutes off the bench. The performance made her the seventh player in Wings franchise history to shoot 100% from the floor on at least six attempts, and the first to do so while taking multiple 3-point attempts.
Kuier scored 12 points in the third quarter on 5-of-5 shooting, including both of her 3-point attempts, during an 11-4 Dallas run that cut a 13-point halftime deficit to six. The Wings briefly took a 64-63 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Dream closed on a 19-1 run.
“I think it was for sure just to have more length on the court,” Kuier said of her expanded role. “And Coach kept telling me, like, be more tougher and be more physical. So I think that was the reasoning behind that.”
Head coach Jose Fernandez inserted Kuier into the rotation to counter the Atlanta frontcourt of Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon. Reese had 16 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, in the teams’ first meeting on May 12. Kuier finished plus-8, one of three Wings players with a positive plus-minus.
“Yeah, their size bothered us,” Fernandez said. “So we had to play Lee, play Awak, right? I thought Awak was very active on both ends of the floor. Her length and athleticism. But what hurt us in that fourth quarter was downhill drives and dribble penetration.”
Franchise Shooting First
Kuier became the seventh player in Wings franchise history to shoot 100% on at least six field goal attempts. The six previous players to do so were primarily paint finishers. Some did not attempt a 3-pointer in their qualifying game. Kuier’s 2-of-2 from beyond the arc made her the first to do it with multiple 3-point attempts mixed in.
Dallas selected Kuier with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Reyer Venezia in Italy. She played her first three WNBA seasons in Dallas from 2021 through 2023 before returning to Europe.
Her late 3-pointer in the fourth quarter came on a possession she said she misread.
“Well, she passed me the ball, and honestly, I didn’t see the clock,” Kuier said. “I thought it was, like, two seconds left, so I just shot it. But that was, like, six or seven — I was just trying to make sure the ball got there, because I saw it floating.”
Season Numbers
Kuier is averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game across six appearances this season. She is shooting 66.7% from the field and 42.9% from 3.
Her plus-32 plus-minus leads the Wings. She has logged fewer total minutes than any other rotation regular.
In her three highest-minute games, Kuier has played 20, 17, and 15 minutes against Washington on May 18, Atlanta on Friday, and Atlanta on May 12. She finished those games plus-11, plus-8, and plus-9, scoring 9, 16, and 6 points on a combined 12-of-16 from the field.
She has three blocks across six games and is 4-of-8 from the free throw line.
Practice and Chemistry
Kuier said practice reps have been a factor in her progress.
“I think practice for sure helps a lot,” Kuier said. “Having good practices and practicing with all the players, I think that really made a difference going into the game and just knowing what every player likes to do, how Paige likes to play, how Arike likes to play. So I think that helped me a lot.”
Wings guard Paige Bueckers, asked after the Washington game what Kuier brings to the team, said the impact has shown up on both ends of the floor. Kuier had finished that game with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 20 minutes, posting a plus-11.
“She was amazing on both sides of the floor,” Bueckers said. “Just her length disrupts things a lot defensively, and she has a great IQ for the game. And then her cutting, her screening — she’s learning really fast, and she just wreaked havoc on both sides of the floor tonight.”
Kuier and Jessica Shepard played together overseas for two seasons before reuniting in Dallas. Shepard finished Friday with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, her second double-double in three games.
“We played together overseas for three years or two years, so I’ve played with her,” Kuier said. “I know how to play with her. So it’s always having that familiar player with you who knows what you like to do and vice versa. I think it also helps me.”
Europe Stretch
Kuier returned to Europe full-time after the 2023 season. She played for Galatasaray in Turkey and competed in EuroLeague and Turkish Super League play. Frequent matchups included Emma Meesseman, a Belgian national team forward and former WNBA Finals MVP with the Washington Mystics.
“I think toughness for sure,” Kuier said. “I think just playing against tough players and being in those situations where I have to guard in Europe — let’s say Emma or whoever, big names — I think that helped me a lot to be ready and come here and play at the same level.”
Defensive Role
Kuier said defensive aggression and length have been the keys to her role with Dallas. The Wings held the Washington Mystics to nine first-quarter points in a home win earlier this month.
“I think we were very aggressive from the start, and that helps us,” Kuier said. “We have a lot of length and quick players. So if we start off the game hitting them first and being aggressive first, it’s always gonna play in our favor.”
She also referenced a “help-the-helper” approach against bigger frontcourts.
“I think just giving extra help for our guards,” Kuier said. “Knowing the personnel and making sure that we’re not leaving the guards on an island. So I think just kind of a help-the-helper type of mentality, and I think because of that we were able to stop them.”
Fernandez deployed Kuier alongside Li Yueru on Friday to slow the Dream’s downhill drives. Atlanta scored 23 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 54 points in the paint.
Sims on Kuier
Wings guard Odyssey Sims, who scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five assists off the bench, praised Kuier’s performance and the potential she displayed.
“She had a really great game,” Sims said. “I didn’t even see how many points she had, just looked at the box score. I thought she had 20. Felt like she had, like, 25 tonight, to be honest. But I’m just proud of her. As you can see with the team that we have, you never know whose night it’s going to be. Tonight was K’s night, and we’re giving her all the praise. Of course, not too much, just because we lost, so that stings a little bit. But of course she played great. She’s a great player, and I just want her to keep it up, keep her confidence high.”
Kuier said she was focused on the defensive areas she still needs to address.
“Well, even though I had some good moments, I did have some bad moments too, so I think that’s something that I can learn from,” Kuier said. “Definitely on defense I can be more aggressive and just play more up front. So like she said, short-term memory, but still learn from the mistakes that I did do.”
Up Next
The Wings (3-3) close their three-game road trip Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. The game airs nationally on NBC. The Liberty frontcourt includes Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and former Wings forward Satou Sabally.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- ‘Short-Term Memory’: Dallas Wings Fall 86-69 To Atlanta Dream As Rhyne Howard Drops 25 In Fourth-Quarter Pull-Away
- ‘You Have To Own The Glass’: How Dallas Wings Plan To Rewrite The Script In Atlanta Dream Rematch
- ‘Taking What The Defense Gave Me’: How Jessica Shepard’s Triple-Double Unlocked The Dallas Wings In Chicago
- Arike Ogunbowale Reaches Historic WNBA Milestone In Dallas Wings’ Win Over Chicago Sky
- ‘Li Changed The Game Defensively’: How Li Yueru Powered A Dallas Wings Turning Point In Chicago
- ‘Controlling The Controllables’: Jessica Shepard Reflects On Dominant Double-Double For Dallas Wings vs. Washington Mystics
