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The Chicago Sky defeated the Dallas Wings by a final score of 87-76 on Wednesday night. Dallas now holds a 6-15 overall record as a result of the defeat. With players such as Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington out with injuries, the Wings are attempting to remain competitive despite featuring a short-handed roster (only eight Wings were available on Wednesday night). Rookies Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James both played over 36 minutes in the game.
Head coach Chris Koclanes is doing his best to manage rotations given the circumstances, but the rookies — especially Bueckers — have had to play a plethora of minutes in recent action. She entered the game averaging just under 35 minutes per outing for the 2025 campaign. Koclanes is trying to figure out the lineups and rotations, something that is difficult given all of the injuries that the Wings have dealt with.
“It's just been lots of inconsistencies with our roster, right? Who is available,” Koclanes told reporters following the game. “Just been a lot of different plug-and-play, who is it tonight? With all that being said, still confident in this group.”
The Wings need Ogunbowale and Carrington to return soon. The same can be said for Maddy Siegrist. Tyasha Harris is out for the season, but the other three players should be able to return. However, the team has yet to provide any new updates on Ogunbowale and Carrington.
Arike is dealing with a thumb injury and Carrington is battling a rib issue. Aside from that, there has been minimal information provided.
The Wings signed Haley Jones to a rest-of-season contract which gave them eight players for Wednesday's game. Although they were able to avoid a forfeit (teams need eight players available), Bueckers' minutes overload is beginning to become concerning. Averaging around 35 minutes fresh off the college basketball season is far from an ideal situation for a rookie.
Overall, though, Koclanes believes the challenging circumstances will benefit the Wings rookies in the long run.
“They’re only going to be better for living through these experiences and getting these experiences,” the Wings head coach said. “When you look at it that’s a lot of minutes that these players have never logged and what we’re asking them to do. To shoulder the weight of scoring as well.”
Playing without other scoring options such as Ogunbowale, Carrington and Siegrist places additional pressure on Bueckers. She is forced to become extra aggressive on the offensive end of the floor. When Paige is at her best, she is able to balance play-making and scoring.
On Wednesday, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick scored 17 points but shot just 5-20 from the field and 0-4 from beyond the arc. She added four assists — a respectable mark — but Bueckers would surely love to create for her teammates even more.
In the end, it's not all Koclanes' fault. He's trying to manage given the difficult circumstances. One has to imagine that an update on Ogunbowale and Carrington will be made available sooner rather than later, though. Dallas cannot afford to continue playing with the minimum amount of players needed for a WNBA contest.
The Wings will play the Fever in Indiana on Sunday afternoon in their next game. Dallas will then host the Aces next Wednesday before the WNBA All-Star break.
