The Dallas Wings lost their tenth game of the season on Wednesday to the Phoenix Mercury. The 93-80 loss spoiled a career night for No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. The Wings' rookie star scored 35 points for head coach Chris Koclanes, the top mark of any first year player this so far this season. She and Arike Ogunbowale were regarded as one of the top backcourts in the WNBA when Dallas drafted the UConn Huskies guard. However, Ogunbowale and her teammates have underperformed, leading the All-Star to ask more from her teammate in a conversation with WNBA legend Sue Bird.

In 38 games last season, Ogunbowale averaged 22.2 points per game. She ranked second in the league in 2024 behind the MVP, Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson. This season, however, the three-time All-WNBA guard has struggled mightily, putting up 15.7 points per night. Those struggles are a big reason why Dallas did not win while Bueckers sat out with a concussion and illness.

Despite their team's struggles, Bueckers and Ogunbowale have formed a close bond with one another. The latter broke down conversations she had with the UConn star with Bird on Friday's episode of Bird's Eye View. According to her, Bueckers needs to be more aggressive.

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“I kind of was talking to her a lot in college too. Like just be more aggressive because here it’s like you need to score, and your a scorer,” Ogunbowale told Bueckers about her play style. “I know she has that (passing gesture) mindset but I think people saw, especially in that run she started going crazy. She was looking really good. So it’s just like be aggressive, like score and like nobody will ever get mad at you doing this, taking shots because that’s what we need from you truly.”

The No. 1 overall pick leads Dallas in points, assists, steals, and blocks per game. Without her, Ogunbowale's struggles would be even greater. However, her 35-point performance could be a sign that she has accepted her new role in Koclanes' offense. It was her second game scoring more than 20 points while shooting 65% or better from the field.

Ogunbowale is in the middle of one of the worst slumps of her career. Because of her and Koclanes' unorthodox coaching, the Wings are at the bottom of the league. However, Bueckers could lead them back into contention like the team hoped she would. The biggest catalyst for that might be her taking more shots, for better or worse.