DHJ Quick Take: The Tactical Evolution
- The Bueckers-Sims Synergy: The most vital “Information Gain” from Thursday was the extended pairing of Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims. As Curt Miller noted, Sims‘ ability to handle full-court pressure allows Bueckers to operate as an elite off-ball threat. Seeing Fernandez run “Spain” pick-and-roll with Paige as the back-screener confirms the Wings are moving toward a sophisticated, high-gravity offense.
- The Azzi Fudd Integration: While Azzi Fudd is a projected starter, her reps with the bench group are a brilliant developmental move. It allows her to build chemistry with Maddy Siegrist and Li Yueru, ensuring that even when the rotations stagger, the Wings maintain elite floor spacing.
- The Li Yueru Factor: Li Yueru‘s role as a “stretch five” who can also “dominate inside” is becoming the anchor of the second unit. Her screening for Bueckers in pindown and her involvement in “Get” actions are helpful options against opposing defenses.
- The Roster Crunch: Waiving Shyanne Sellers and Grace Sullivan signals that the “staggered arrivals” of Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard are imminent. With Ogunbowale and Shepard projected for Monday, Fernandez is about to transition from “install mode” to “full-strength execution” just in time for the Indiana Fever exhibition.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings cycled through new lineup combinations on Thursday as first-year head coach Jose Fernandez continued building around a roster still waiting on four of its projected top-eight players. Day 5 of training camp at College Park Center featured Azzi Fudd rotating through reps with the projected bench group, Odyssey Sims taking primary ballhandling duties alongside Paige Bueckers, and the Wings working through layered off-ball actions designed to leverage Bueckers’ gravity without demanding she carry the scoring load alone.
General manager Curt Miller laid out a projected 10-player rotation earlier in the week, but the early-camp absences of Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard, Alanna Smith, and Awak Kuier have pushed Fernandez to lean on creative pairings to get his core guards reps against a full defense.
Azzi Fudd Tests Chemistry With Bench Group
Fernandez rotated Fudd into other lineups without Bueckers for portions of Thursday’s 5-on-5 work, although that is not indicative of any change in a projected role as a starter in Miller’s outline of the team’s top five. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft did not have a sharp shooting day in the limited portion of practice open to the media, but she was aggressive in creating and taking shots and made multiple defensive plays during the session.
Fudd’s shooting gravity showed up even on possessions when the ball did not find her. Guard Grace Berger used Fudd’s off-ball activity to open driving lanes, with help defenders staying pinned to Fudd long enough to create clean dribble penetration. Berger’s drives led to collapsed defenses, interior passes, and finishes at the rim for the Wings’ bigs during those reps.
Fernandez has also been installing screen-the-screener actions specifically designed to free Fudd for clean looks, in addition to more traditional actions like pindowns and Zoom sets. Fudd has been a quick study through her first week in camp.
“Without a doubt, that’s why we drafted her. We expect big things,” Fernandez said earlier this week. “She’s been great through four days, coachable, does the right things, invests in her body, and has embraced the playbook.”
Paige Bueckers, Odyssey Sims Spend Extended Time Together
The Wings’ second unit is the one group largely intact through the early days of camp, with every projected bench piece except Kuier already in the building. That availability drove the intent of Thursday’s 5-on-5 work: use the time to get Bueckers meaningful reps with the group she’ll share the floor with most often.
Sims, Yueru, and Siegrist were each named by Miller as part of the projected second five, and all three spent significant time on the floor with Bueckers during Thursday’s session. Alysha Clark, whom Miller cited as adding another veteran layer beyond the 10-player rotation, was also frequently in the mix.
Sims handled the ball for long stretches, freeing Bueckers to work off the ball in the kind of actions Miller described earlier in the week as central to Sims’ role.
“Her veteran leadership is key, but also her on-court role. We need to get Paige off the ball at times, it’s hard to be picked up full court and still carry a scoring load,” Miller said. “Odyssey allows us to do that. Paige is elite off the ball, but you need a point guard to facilitate that. Odyssey also helps defensively and gives us scoring off the bench.”
The pairing generated clear offensive structure during Thursday’s session. Bueckers worked through a variety of off-ball reads, catching on the move and using screen contact to set up drives into the middle of the floor.
Paige Bueckers’ Gravity Creates Advantages
Bueckers continued to pressure the defense with constant off-ball activity, with one sequence on Day 5 serving as a clear example of the spacing Fernandez is working to install.
Following a Siegrist pindown for Bueckers, the trailing defender tried to recover as Bueckers used a shot fake near the elbow. Rather than force the attempt, Bueckers played out of a quick Get action with Yueru, who flashed from the paint to the top of the key. Bueckers used the screen contact to get to her spot in the mid-range, drawing two defenders. The weak-side low man was forced to tag Yueru on the roll, leaving Alysha Clark open on the weak-side wing for a clean catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.
The action tracks with Fernandez’s emphasis on generating high-quality looks from his shooters without over-reliance on any single creator.
“You have to space the floor. High-percentage teams do a great job shooting in transition and generating inside-out threes,” Fernandez said. “For us, it’s about having the right people taking shots. We need to knock down open threes and emphasize going from good shots to great shots.”
Jose Fernandez Installs Multiple Paige Bueckers Off-Ball Looks
Fernandez cycled through several install variations designed to use Bueckers as an off-ball threat while still generating attacking opportunities for her, a layered approach that speaks to the versatility he has referenced across his media sessions.
“I like the versatility, players who can play multiple positions,” Fernandez said. “There’s a strong understanding now of how we want to play in transition and in the half court, where we want shots and who we want taking them.”
One of the more intriguing looks had Bueckers serve as the back screener in Stack pick-and-roll, also known as Spain. The action created an immediate mismatch against a big, and Bueckers was able to get a shot off on the catch without needing to put the ball on the floor.
A second install had Bueckers as the first screener in a double drag, followed by Yueru screening for Bueckers on a curl toward the ball. The sequence got Bueckers to the elbow area for a pull-up jumper. Later in a separate possession, Yueru set a pindown for Bueckers in the late shot clock, leading to another mid-range pull-up.
The Wings also stayed in motion after Bueckers made routine passes. On one possession, she received a quick flare screen from Clark after completing a pass, creating a clean catch-and-shoot look from beyond the arc.
Yueru’s screening and rolling has been a common thread in the half-court work, with Clark speaking earlier in the week about the dual threat the Wings’ center brings.
“She’s a stretch five and can shoot it, but you can tell there’s an emphasis on being a force inside too,” Clark said of Yueru. “That’s huge for us. Nobody around her is her size, so for her to dominate inside will be big.”
Maddy Siegrist on Growing Chemistry With New Pieces
Forward Maddy Siegrist, entering her fourth WNBA season, said Thursday’s practice continued the momentum of a camp focused on intentionality and energy. Her reads off Bueckers carried over from a full season of shared reps in 2025, while the team’s new free-agent additions and draft picks required day-to-day adjustments.
Siegrist pointed to repeatedly running the same sets with the same teammates as the fastest path to offensive fluency.
“Just the more you play with people, obviously the different reads. I obviously played a lot with Paige last year, so just being able to read off her,” Siegrist said. “Now adding some new pieces, getting more comfortable with them. Like, you like to pop here, slip there. Just day by day getting a little bit more comfortable with that kind of stuff.”
Aziaha James Continues Offseason Growth
Siegrist also highlighted the development of second-year guard Aziaha James, who spent time at Unrivaled during the offseason. James has shown up early as a creative rim attacker, with Fernandez pointing to her left-handed finishing and transition game as strengths.
“She came in elite shape. I like her creativity getting to the rim,” Fernandez said of James. “She’s left-handed and very comfortable with where she’s getting the ball, especially in quick hitters and half-court sets. She’s electric in transition.”
Siegrist framed James as a second-year player whose defensive ceiling remains well ahead of her current level.
“I think Unrivaled was great for her. Obviously getting a lot of time last year as well, just getting a lot of experience under her belt,” Siegrist said. “I think that’s made her more comfortable and helped her grow as a player, a little bit as a playmaker. Defensively, I think she’s just scratching the surface. She’s only going to get really, really better.”
Dallas Wings Waive Shyanne Sellers, Grace Sullivan Ahead of Day 5
The Wings announced Wednesday that they had waived guard Shyanne Sellers and forward Grace Sullivan, trimming the camp roster as Fernandez continues narrowing the final group. Fernandez wished both players well and described the numbers crunch that comes with a 12-player WNBA roster.
“Both Gracie and Cheyenne, we wish them the best in their professional careers. It’s tough to make a WNBA roster with only 12 spots, even with two developmental spots,” Fernandez said. “They did a great job those first three days. But we’re still waiting on some very talented players we’re counting on who aren’t here yet. This roster will continue to evolve.”
Fernandez also pointed to outside distractions surrounding the team that day, noting the group’s ability to stay focused in the moment.
“There were also distractions today with an event, but I thought the team did a great job responding,” Fernandez said. “You can see the offensive flow improving, the ball moving, and roles becoming clearer in the half court.”
Roster Still Coming Into Form
Four of the Wings’ top-eight players remained out of camp through Thursday, though the overseas return timeline clarified as the week progressed. Smith, who had been away from the team due to immigration matters, is expected to return on Saturday. Forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu will arrive from Serbia the same day after winning the Serbian Championship.
Shepard and guard Costanza Verona are now projected back on Monday after their Italian club, Famila, evened the Italian League Championship series at 1-1 with a 74-53 win on Thursday to force Game 3. Ogunbowale is also projected back Monday evening following Game 5 of her Chinese Championship series.
Kuier remains the lone Wings player without a confirmed return timeline as she awaits an immigration appointment in Finland. The Finnish forward is returning to the WNBA in 2026 for the first time since 2023.
Miller acknowledged earlier in the week that the limited early continuity will require an adjustment window.
“There needs to be patience and some grace early in the season. When we get to Game 1, we won’t have had much time together compared to teams that have continuity,” Miller said. “Our team will look a lot different in July than it does in May.”
What’s Next
The Wings will hold practice on Friday, but on Saturday, Smith and Fankam Mendjiadeu are expected to be integrated into the mix. Shepard, Verona, and Ogunbowale are all projected to join the team early next week, which will give Fernandez his first extended look at a fully operational projected starting five.
Dallas opens the 2026 WNBA preseason on Thursday, April 30, with a road exhibition game against the Indiana Fever.
More Wings Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
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- Jessica Shepard, Costanza Verona’s Italian Championship Run Shapes Dallas Wings Return
- Arike Ogunbowale Nears Return To Dallas Wings After Chinese Championship Run
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