The Dallas Wings were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces 98-84 on Thursday in the WNBA regular season finale. Dallas finished the season with a 9-31 record, the second worst mark in the league. It was a disappointing '24 campaign for the Wings, as injuries played far too big of a role throughout the first half of the year. Wings star Satou Sabally revealed what she learned about herself from the “rough year.”
“Perseverance… It was a rough year but I'm happy that I finished it out,” Sabally said after Thursday's game. “Was on the court with my teammates.”
Perseverance has become a theme for Sabally, who missed the first portion of the 2024 WNBA season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. She fought back and played a big role for the team down the stretch of the season.
Satou Sabally played well in limited action
The two-time All-Star was limited to only 14 games played in 2024. Yet, she averaged 17.4 points per outing on 42.1 percent field goal and 43.6 percent three-point shooting during that span. She added 6.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Sabally finished fifth in WNBA MVP voting in 2023. She also won the WNBA Most Improved Player Award during the '23 season. Sabally may have a big year in 2025 if she can stay healthy.
The question is whether or not she will return to the Wings as free agency nears.
Wings' 2024 season
Again, the 2024 campaign was a difficult year for the Wings. Head coach Latricia Trammell discussed the season following Thursday's regular season finale.
“This team… the perseverance that they have shown through all the adversity that has hit us this season… I love them, appreciate them. Onward and upward.”
Wings forward Maddy Siegrist, who also missed time due to an injury, reflected on her season.
“Continuing to grow from year one to year two,” Siegrist said Thursday. “Obviously, getting hurt sucks. But battling back from that, I'm happy with that. I'm proud of myself for that.”
If it wasn't clear, “perseverance” is a primary theme for this Wings team. Going through a down year is never an easy thing to do but the future remains bright.
Maddy Siegrist's potential 2025 role with Wings
Siegrist has an opportunity to play a crucial role moving forward. Regardless of whether or not Sabally leaves, Siegrist will likely see an increased role in 2025.
“I'm super excited, it's always good to end on a positive note,” Siegrist said. “I feel like I've been doing that. I can't wait to throw the finger brace away (Siegrist suffered a finger injury early in the season), chuck it into the ocean… Leave it here in Vegas.”
Siegrist is excited to move on from the finger brace. She displayed signs of stardom before suffering the injury early in the '24 season. Siegrist has also begun to play well in recent weeks.
The Wings are developing a quality core of players led by Arike Ogunbowale. Dallas will need to make some moves during the offseason, but perhaps this team can bounce back and make a postseason run in 2025.