‘Staying Together’: How The Dallas Wings Plan To Adapt Without Paige Bueckers vs. Portland Fire

PORTLAND, Ore. — With Paige Bueckers out, the Dallas Wings plan to take care of the basketball and spread their playmaking across the roster when they visit the Portland Fire on Saturday. Aziaha James moves into the starting lineup.

Wings coach Jose Fernandez and his players pointed to ball security against Portland’s pressure as the top priority, with creation coming from several directions rather than from one replacement for Bueckers.

Taking Care of the Basketball Against Portland Fire’s Pressure

Fernandez said ball control would define the night against a Portland team that defends with full-court pressure.

“We’ve got to do a great job taking care of the basketball,” Fernandez said. “That’s number one. We’ve got to take great shots that don’t lead to bad transition defense. But guys are going to get opportunities tonight, so we’ll see how they do.”

Fernandez said the Fire’s aggressiveness is what makes ball security so important.

“They play really hard,” Fernandez said. “I think they’re selfless. They’ll pick you up full court, they’ll double-team the ball, and they make good decisions defensively. They mix things up in pick-and-roll situations.”

Azzi Fudd said the answer is composure.

“Obviously taking care of the ball is a big one,” Fudd said. “Being calm under their pressure, whether it’s full-court or half-court defense. Being calm, playing Wings basketball. And just staying together, playing for one another, and doing what we do best.”

Fudd also pointed to the need to carry over the interior defense that held the Phoenix Mercury to 22 points in the paint on Thursday.

“Limiting paint touches also limits paint points,” Fudd said. “Making sure we’re packing the paint, playing team defense, being there on the second and third rotations, helping one another, and continuing to communicate.”

Spreading the Playmaking Without Paige Bueckers

Bueckers leads the Wings at 19.8 points and shares the team lead in assists with Jessica Shepard at 5.8 per game, so her absence removes Dallas’ top scorer and one of its two primary playmakers.

Shepard said replacing Bueckers’ ball-handling falls on the group rather than one player.

“When you’re missing a player like Paige, who’s our primary ball-handler, everyone has to pick up a little bit of that responsibility,” Shepard said. “We know they’re a team that pressures a lot, so it’s about executing what the coaches are asking of us.”

Shepard said the key is organization, not who brings the ball up.

“We have a lot of guards who can bring the ball up,” Shepard said. “It’s not necessarily about bringing the ball up the court. It’s more about getting us set in the offense.”

Dallas figures to spread the ball-handling across its guards, with JJ Quinerly potentially taking on more of the point-guard load. Fernandez highlighted Arike Ogunbowale, Azzi Fudd, and Aziaha James as dynamic scorers who can attack and space the floor, while stressing the focus on putting Shepard in position to initiate.

“With Arike, Azzi, and Aziaha, you’ve still got three dynamic players who can get downhill and also space the floor,” Fernandez said. “It’s really about how we utilize Jess, whether she’s bringing the ball up or through different things we run offensively. We want to make sure we put her in a great position to be successful.”

Fernandez said Shepard’s feel for the game was a major reason Dallas targeted her in building the roster.

“Jess’ international experience and basketball IQ really stood out,” Fernandez said. “She’s able to create mismatches, make really good decisions, and understand where we want the ball to go offensively.”

Fudd said the depth of ball-handling gives Dallas flexibility to push the pace.

“Honestly, it gives us unlimited options,” Fudd said. “It really spreads the floor and makes things hard for the defense because anyone can rebound and push the ball.”

The on/off splits offer some context, in a small sample. With Bueckers on the floor over 389 minutes this season, Dallas has a 111.0 offensive rating and has outscored opponents by 6.0 points per 100 possessions, with her fueling the offense. In the 91 minutes she has been off the court, the offense has fallen to 99.5, but the defense has been 93.9 from 105.0, and the pace has climbed to 103.4, leaving Dallas a nearly identical plus-5.6 per 100. The off-court sample is small, roughly eight minutes a game, but it mirrors the defense-and-tempo formula the players described.

James, who moves into the starting lineup with Bueckers out, has been a spark off the bench, and Fudd said that energy carries into a larger role.

“Aziaha has been playing great all season,” Fudd said. “The way she can come in and be a spark off the bench and make an impact immediately, whether that’s getting buckets or getting stops. She’s such an aggressive and quick defender, and I feel like that’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough.”

The Wings tip off at the Fire on Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game airs locally on KFAA and streams on WNBA League Pass.

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• Dallas Wings Rule Out Paige Bueckers Against Portland Fire Out Of ‘Caution’
• Paige Bueckers Questionable For Dallas Wings At Portland; Odyssey Sims Remains Out
• ‘One Of The Best In The World’: Paige Bueckers Erupts For Season-High 31 To Lead Dallas Wings’ Response vs. Phoenix Mercury
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