DHJ Quick Take: Saturday’s Takeaways
- Aziaha James’ Year-Two Leap: Following a confidence-building offseason at Unrivaled, guard Aziaha James has been a clear standout in camp. Her focus on point-of-attack defense—paired with a scoring burst that saw her net three consecutive buckets on Saturday—positions her to be an impactful player.
- The Smith Dimension: Reigning WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith rejoined the team Saturday after clearing immigration hurdles. Her immediate presence shifted the team’s transition game, with coach Jose Fernandez noting her ability to ignite the break off the glass.
- Defensive Identity: With the addition of Smith and the paint-protection flashes from Rayah Marshall, Dallas is prioritizing a “stop-first” mentality. Smith‘s competitive drive—declaring she wants to be “dragged off” the floor—has been apparent.
- Roster Cuts Looms: Following the waiving of Zee Spearman and Kyla Oldacre, the Wings are evaluating the remaining 18 players through a “perimeter vs. post” lens. With veterans like Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier still to arrive, the competition for the final two developmental spots remains the most active storyline in Arlington.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings wrapped their sixth practice of training camp Saturday at College Park Center, with Alanna Smith rejoining the team for the first time since immigration matters pulled her away earlier in the week.
Saturday’s open portion of practice arrived deep into the team’s 5-on-5 competition, with starters like Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Smith already cycled out by the time media was on the floor. The reps that followed gave Aziaha James, Maddy Siegrist, Grace Berger, Odyssey Sims, Alysha Clark, Rayah Marshall, Amy Okonkwo, and Zee Spearman the bulk of the visible run.
Below is a detailed look at what stood out from Saturday’s practice.
Aziaha James Continues to Impress
James has been one of the clearest standouts of training camp through a week of open practices, and she put together her best stretch yet during Saturday’s open portion. She scored on three consecutive possessions to flash her full offensive range, attacking downhill for an acrobatic finish against rim protection, knocking down a catch-and-shoot mid-range jumper, and connecting from beyond the arc.
James also brought the kind of point-of-attack pressure she has been emphasizing all camp, getting into the ball defensively and forcing a turnover. She has consistently earned praise from teammates and coaches, and her own framing of her year-two leap matches what a coaching staff would want to hear from a second-year guard.
“I wanted to focus on my point-of-attack defense. Offense is going to come, we have a lot of shooters on this team,” James said. “So I just want to help out a lot on defense.”
James said she has tried to take a backseat to overthinking the game and instead let it come to her, a mindset that paid off in Saturday’s stretch.
“Just allowing the game to come to me. Not thinking too much, just relying on my teammates,” James said. “They were finding me when I was open, so I just had to make the shots and knock them down.”
She also said her offseason at Unrivaled built the confidence she is showing in camp.
“It helped me a lot. Being around those players every day, getting comfortable, and seeing how they work, especially the vets, how they handle recovery, workouts, and putting in work during unseen hours,” James said. “That helped me gain a lot of confidence.”
Fernandez said the offseason work James put in is showing up on the floor.
“You guys saw Aziaha today, you can tell how hard she worked in the offseason,” Fernandez said.
The consistency James has displayed primarily goes to the work she’s put in, but she credits the staff for pushing her every day to treat practice with regular-season intensity.
“They push me every day, telling me to sprint every play, treat every possession like it’s a game,” James said of the coaching staff. “They’ve already set the standard, and I’m excited for the season.”
Rayah Marshall Flashes Defensive Length
Marshall delivered the most impressive defensive play of the open portion. She came over for a chase-down block in pick-and-roll against one of the male practice players. The play was called a foul live, but the video shows she got all ball, a combination of timing, length, and athleticism that makes her an interesting defensive piece for the Wings as the staff sorts through the post depth.
Marshall has been getting extended reps this week with Smith and Jessica Shepard in and out of camp, and she said the mental side of the WNBA game has been her biggest area of focus.
“For me, at the pro level, a lot of it is mental,” Marshall said earlier in the week. “It’s about getting my timing down. Sometimes as a young post player, I’m quick to make all my moves at one pace, but it’s about finding a pace that works for me and mentally engaging in my game.”
The chase-down block fit the kind of disruptive impact Marshall said the staff has asked her to provide.
“They inspired me to play my role and be dominant,” Marshall said of her early conversations with Fernandez. “When I got on the phone with Coach Jose, his voice and energy really stood out. He told me, ‘I need you to rebound, run the floor, bring your energy.'”
Alanna Smith Back on the Floor
Smith rejoined the team Saturday after immigration matters had kept her away earlier in the week. She arrived back in the country late Friday night and was on the floor for practice the next morning, which Fernandez said immediately added a transition dimension to the offense.
“She got back late last night, and she could have not gone today,” Fernandez said. “It was great because now she gets it off the glass, and for me, she starts the break. She can handle it. Now we can play fast, share it, get our wings in the deep corners, and occupy the slots.”
An example of Smith’s leadership can be seen in the fact she practiced on Saturday. She could have chosen not to participate given the logistical grind of her immigration requirements, but she chose to take the court anyway.
“Not being able to be part of the full training camp so far, the chances I do get, I want to be in it,” Smith said. “The best way to learn is by doing. I want to play and get to know people on the court. When I’m here, I’m here, they’re going to have to drag me off.”
The reigning WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year also outlined the mindset she carries to the defensive end. For a Wings team establishing a defensive identity, she is embracing setting the tone on that end.
“I’m pretty competitive. When I’m out there, all I’m thinking is: you don’t score. That’s my main goal,” Smith said. “When people do score on me, I get upset and it fuels me a little bit. But that’s the mindset, you can’t score.”
As Smith continues to get reps with Bueckers, she is learning more about how she’s not only playing next to a scorer who can get to her spots and make plays from anywhere on the floor and in any action, but also complementing an impressive passer.
“She’s an elite scorer at all three levels,” Smith said. “But her ability to distribute and see the floor is underrated. Once we build that trust, I’m going to benefit a lot from playing with her. She has very high IQ, and it’ll be fun to develop that chemistry.”
Pace and Spacing Drive the Practice
Fernandez said the team played with strong pace, spacing, and shot selection throughout the practice, with the offense reaching a level he has not yet seen through six sessions.
“We have a lot of pieces that are not here, but the biggest thing I thought today was we played with incredible pace and spacing. The shot selection was outstanding. They went from good to great. We got the right people the basketball, so that’s very, very important,” Fernandez said. “People are embracing their roles, so that’s always great, and that’s how it needs to be.”
Fernandez said the structure of the day, with the team scrimmaging itself for one quarter and then competing against the male practice squad for two, helped the group find its timing.
“We played against each other one quarter, and we played against the male scrimmage team two quarters. So we got some good timing,” Fernandez said.
He singled out the defensive end as the area still needing the most work coming out of Saturday’s session.
“It was good. We’ve got to get better defensively. The offensive side of the ball wasn’t a problem today,” Fernandez said.
Jose Fernandez on Who Has Stood Out
Asked which player has surprised him most through the early days of camp, Fernandez said Bueckers’ impact was no surprise but that Fudd, Sims, and Clark have all delivered the kind of impact that has elevated the group.
“Surprised me, I knew what Paige was going to bring,” Fernandez said. “I think Azzi has done a really good job shooting the basketball. After the first day, I told her, ‘You’re open, you’ve got to shoot it.’ She’s been doing a great job creating off the bounce and being effective with her shot fakes.”
Fernandez also pointed to Sims’ veteran presence and Clark’s ability to connect the team across age and experience lines.
“I could go straight down the line, Odyssey Sims, as a veteran, has been really good,” Fernandez said. “The addition of AC and how she connects everyone and talks to the younger players.”
Fernandez said the energy he has gotten from the group across both ends of the floor has been the through-line of the early practices.
“Camp’s been fun with these guys, and it should be. You don’t have to coach effort,” Fernandez said. “That translates into playing and what you see on both ends of the floor.”
Zee Spearman Made an Impression Before Camp Cut
Spearman, who was waived by the Wings on Sunday along with Oldacre, used her extended reps in 5-on-5 throughout the week to make a real case in a competitive camp. She said the physicality of the WNBA was her clearest “welcome to the W” moment early in camp.
“I think the first day. The physicality got me, I can’t lie. Somebody hit me in the stomach and I said, ‘Okay, they’re a little strong out here,'” Spearman said. “But I kept my feet, kept playing through it. I couldn’t show that it really got me. I had to keep going.”
Spearman credited Marshall and Sims as the veterans who helped her settle in, with Sims’ veteran pull-through her time with the Wings being especially valuable for an early-career post still figuring out the league.
“I’d say Ray and O, for sure. Having them in my corner, talking with them every day, they keep me on my toes, keep me up to pace with what’s going on, and keep my head straight,” Spearman said.
Spearman also said the playbook had been an adjustment in name only, with the actions overlapping heavily with what she had run before.
“The refreshing part is that it’s different words, but the same actions,” Spearman said. “Like instead of a re-screen, they might say ‘wipers.’ It’s the same movement, just a different word. So my brain can ease a little bit.”
Roster Spot Competition Continues
With several pieces still away from camp, Fernandez said the open competition for final roster and developmental spots is genuinely active. He said the balance between perimeter and post needs is the lens he is using to evaluate the final cuts.
“Needs,” Fernandez said when asked what he is looking for in the final roster decisions. “You’ve got to have a good balance between your perimeter needs and your post needs, especially in those final roster spots and the two developmental spots.”
Fernandez said the players still to arrive will continue to raise the bar in the gym.
“It’s coming together, but we’re still early. Today is practice six. We’ve got nine to go and two exhibitions,” Fernandez said. “Once these other players get here, they’ve been preparing with everything they’ve received, it raises the bar in here with what’s missing.”
Closing his media availability, Fernandez had a clear message about where this team stands relative to the perennial framing that the Wings are almost there.
“We’re here, baby. We are here,” Fernandez said.
Up Next
The Wings continue training camp with Jessica Shepard, Arike Ogunbowale, Awak Kuier, and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu still expected to return in the coming days. Fernandez also confirmed that JJ Quinerly, Li Yueru, and Oldacre are working their way back from injuries or protocol.
The Wings announced Sunday that Spearman and Oldacre had been waived. As is the case with any player who entered training camp on a training camp or unprotected contract, both could potentially return to the team on a developmental roster spot if they clear waivers.
The team’s opening-day roster will be finalized by May 7. The regular season tips off May 9. Before those decisions are made, the Wings will face the Indiana Fever on the road on April 30, then host the Las Vegas Aces at Moody Center on May 3.
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