DHJ Quick Take: Wings Rule Out Awak Kuier for Commissioner’s Cup Opener
- Kuier Ruled Out, Clark Probable: Awak Kuier (right wrist) is out for Monday’s Commissioner’s Cup opener against the Seattle Storm, while Alysha Clark (left arm) is probable.
- Kuier’s Two-Way Impact: Dallas owns a team-best +24.5 net rating with Kuier on the floor through 8 games and allows 95.4 points per 100 possessions with her on, compared to 111.7 with her off.
- Recent Form: Kuier scored 12 points with 2 blocks and a pair of 3-pointers in Thursday’s 95-87 win over Las Vegas, her third straight game in double figures.
- Clark’s Locker-Room Value: Clark has been a veteran connector between the players and coaching staff and a regular mentor to rookie Azzi Fudd, on top of a season-high 6 points in Thursday’s win.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings ruled out forward Awak Kuier for Monday’s Commissioner’s Cup opener against the Seattle Storm because of a right wrist injury, according to the team’s injury report. Forward Alysha Clark is listed as probable with a left arm injury.
Kuier and Clark both sat out Sunday’s practice and had been under evaluation. Kuier has been dealing with the wrist since last week and appeared to land hard on it during Thursday’s 95-87 win over the Las Vegas Aces, though she stayed in and remained productive. She was limited to left-hand-only work with a wrist brace at Saturday’s practice, focusing on ball handling and finishing with her off-hand.
“She didn’t practice today, and she’s still being evaluated,” head coach Jose Fernandez said Sunday, before the ruling.
Awak Kuier’s Two-Way Impact
Kuier had grown into a key reserve before the injury, and her absence will be felt. In Thursday’s 95-87 comeback win over Las Vegas, she rounded out Dallas’s double-digit scorers with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 21 minutes on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. It was her third straight game in double figures, the longest such streak of her WNBA career.
Her value has shown up most in Dallas’s on/off numbers. Through 8 games, the Wings have outscored opponents by 24.5 points per 100 possessions with Kuier on the floor, the best on-court net rating on the roster, and are outscored by 5.0 with her on the bench. The gap is driven by defense, where Dallas’s rating improves from 111.7 with her off the court to 95.4 with her on, a 16.3-point swing across her 111 minutes.
That tracked with her role in Thursday’s comeback, when her length anchored the second-half adjustment that cooled Las Vegas. Paige Bueckers credited Kuier’s reach for letting Dallas guard ball screens with a single defender.
“With K, she just is so long that she can guard two at times,” Bueckers said. “So to play between whoever’s in the ball screen, whether it be Jackie or Chelsea and probably A’ja setting it, that’s huge.”
Kuier also stretched the floor on the other end, knocking down two fourth-quarter 3-pointers against the Aces, and Fernandez said her range pulls rim protectors away from the basket.
“Where Awak can pick and pop, she can stretch the floor,” Fernandez said. “She’s a good weak-side cutter, and her length bothers people on the defensive end.”
Kuier is averaging 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 8 games this season.
Alysha Clark’s Steady Role
Clark, who is averaging 2.3 points, 1.0 rebound, and 0.2 assists in 6 games, is expected to be available after turning in one of her better outings of the season Thursday. She scored a season-high 6 points with 1 assist and finished a plus-11 in a season-high 18 minutes, hitting a corner 3-pointer and a pair of late free throws as Dallas closed out the win.
Fernandez has leaned on her feel for the game.
“I think her headiness, her basketball IQ. She does the right things and gets in the right spots,” Fernandez said. “It’s almost like having another coach on the floor.”
That value carries off the floor, too. Clark has been one of the team’s steadier voices on the sideline this season, serving as a connector between the players and the coaching staff whether she plays or not. She has spent much of the season working closely with rookie Azzi Fudd, often staying after shootarounds to get up extra shots with the No. 1 overall pick.
Dallas Wings Host Seattle Storm On Monday
Kuier will miss the matchup as Dallas (5-3) opens Commissioner’s Cup play. The Wings, who have won two straight over New York and the defending champion Aces, host the Storm on Monday, June 1, at 7 p.m. CT at College Park Center.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- ‘Incredible Resolve’: Azzi Fudd Shines In First Start, Jessica Shepard Makes WNBA History As Dallas Wings Stun Las Vegas Aces 95-87
- ‘Azzi Was Going To Start Regardless Today’: Azzi Fudd Earns Dallas Wings Starting Role vs. Las Vegas Aces
- Arike Ogunbowale Cleared To Play For Dallas Wings Against Las Vegas Aces After Workout
- Maddy Siegrist To Start For Dallas Wings As Alanna Smith Sits vs. Las Vegas Aces
- Paige Bueckers Cleared To Play For Dallas Wings Against Las Vegas Aces
- ‘I Would Not Hesitate Shooting’: Azzi Fudd Details UConn Approach That Unlocked Historic Game vs. New York Liberty
- ‘We’re Guarding Her With Five’: Paige Bueckers, Jose Fernandez Detail A’ja Wilson Matchup
