DHJ Quick Take: Dallas Wings Injury Updates
- The Frontcourt Anchor: Alanna Smith’s status is the most significant hurdle for the Wings heading into Indianapolis. A nasal fracture sustained from an A’ja Wilson elbow means Smith will be fitted for a protective mask, but her absence from practice leaves a void in the interior defense.
- James’ Momentum Halted: After an elite preseason where she averaged 17.5 points and 3.0 steals, Aziaha James is now battling a sprained ankle. Her ability to disrupt the point of attack was a “night and day” difference for the Wings’ defense, and losing her length on the perimeter would simplify things for the Fever’s backcourt.
- The Mask Factor: If Smith is cleared to play, the adjustment to a protective mask is a secondary concern. It can affect peripheral vision and comfort, though Smith’s “competitive fuel” suggests she’ll prioritize being the defensive anchor regardless of the equipment.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Wings starting center Alanna Smith and backup guard Aziaha James were both held out of Wednesday’s practice, two absences three days before Saturday’s regular-season opener at the Indiana Fever.
Smith is dealing with a nasal fracture sustained Sunday during the Wings’ 101-84 preseason win over the Las Vegas Aces at Moody Center in Austin, when she took an elbow from Aces star A’ja Wilson. She will need to wear a protective mask whenever she is back on the floor. James suffered a sprained ankle during Tuesday’s practice.
Neither player has been ruled out for the opener, but their status for Saturday is uncertain. Missing Smith and James together would leave head coach Jose Fernandez reworking his rotation against an Indiana team that returns Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston.
Alanna Smith Making Strong Early Impression
Smith joined Dallas this offseason on a three-year max contract after sharing 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honors with the Minnesota Lynx. She has been one of the centerpieces of camp on the defensive end.
Through two preseason games, Smith averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 75.0% from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range. She finished with 12 points and seven rebounds against Las Vegas before exiting with the face injury, and had five assists in the preseason opener at Indiana.
Smith was direct about her defensive approach earlier in camp.
“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.”
She also described how she sees her role on that end.
“Defensively, being an anchor, reliable, always helping, always talking, making sure I have my teammates’ backs,” Smith said.
Smith called defense the starting point for the rest of her game.
“Defense is a big part of my game and a big part of winning games,” Smith said at training camp. “Building that foundation of team defense, then building chemistry, learning how people play, what they like to do. The only way to do that is by playing games, so I’m keen to get out there.”
Fernandez has also talked about Smith’s ability to rebound and push the ball, a part of her game that gets less attention than her defense.
“Now she gets it off the glass, and for me, she starts the break. She can handle it,” Fernandez said. “Now we can play fast, share it, get our wings in the deep corners, and occupy the slots.”
Indiana’s frontcourt is anchored by Boston, a 2025 All-WNBA selection who averaged 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds last season. Smith would have drawn that primary matchup. Without her, the post defense gets divided up between Awak Kuier, Jessica Shepard, and Maddy Siegrist.
Aziaha James Earning Rave Reviews in Training Camp
James, in her second WNBA season, has been one of Dallas’s best players this preseason. She averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.0 steals across two preseason games, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals at Indiana before adding 18 points off the bench against the Aces.
Her time at Unrivaled showed up right away. James drew the primary defensive matchup against Aces guard Chennedy Carter in the preseason finale and held her to five points on 2-of-7 shooting. Carter was assessed a flagrant-1 foul during the third quarter.
James said her offseason work and her defensive focus changed her approach in camp.
“Yeah, just my confidence. I think Unrivaled helped a lot, just playing with those types of players,” James said. “I feel like defense was my main focus point for this year. So just getting bigger, being more aggressive, and allowing the game to come to me.”
Her teammates have noticed. Second-year guard Paige Bueckers pointed to James as one of the players who has grown the most in camp.
“She’s grown so much more confident,” Bueckers said of James. “It started with Unrivaled. Every time she stepped up, she played extremely well and worked hard every day.”
Bueckers described the role she expects from James.
“She’s been confident and aggressive on both ends. We need her to be disruptive, crash the offensive boards, get deflections, and be aggressive on offense, hunting shots, getting to the paint, and creating. She’s been doing all of that,” Bueckers said.
James came off the bench in both preseason games and has been one of the guards Dallas has used on point-of-attack defense.
Up Next
The Wings open the 2026 WNBA regular season against the Fever on Saturday, May 9, at 12 p.m. CT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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