With eight games remaining in the Dallas Wings’ 2026 regular-season schedule, it’s worth referring back to Zack Ward’s season preview of the team.

The theme of Zack’s preseason analysis of Dallas? Patience.

He examined the history of teams with back-to-back No. 1 picks in WNBA drafts, noting that among the 2024 Indiana Fever, 2018 Las Vegas Aces, 2016 Seattle Storm and 2002 Storm, only one team—the 2002 Storm with Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson—finished with a winning record. Of the more recent teams, the 2024 Fever’s .500 record is the best mark.

So should expectations really be that high for the 2026 Dallas Wings, as they, like those teams did, pursue success with their back-to-back No. 1 picks?

Probably not. But even with just one No. 1 pick overall on the roster, the spotlight is always going to be on your organization.

So, the big question for the Wings in 2026 should be simple: Can Dallas demonstrate significant improvement?

I think Zack was right on. Steady improvement, not a stratospheric leap in the standings, was a reasonable goal for the 2026 Wings. Zack forecasted a 16-28 record as most likely, while allowing for some paths that could put the Wings on the cusp of a playoff berth.

Well, the Wings have soared past those expectations.

And, that’s the problem.

Currently four games over .500 at 20-16, Dallas is on track for the best-ever season by a franchise that picked first overall in two consecutive drafts.

But, the sentiment around the team is suggestive of anything but success. Disappointment and disillusionment define Dallas.

The trajectory of the Wings’ season explains the current malaise. Yet, it shouldn’t excuse it.

After a couple of ugly defensive outings that led to some early losses, Dallas found their groove, establishing an effective offensive attack that propelled the team to as high as fourth in the WNBA standings. A pre-All-Star break surge, as the team cruised into the Chicago festivities on a 7-1 stretch, seemed to presage an even more ascendant finish to the season.

Dallas, of course, has stumbled, with their 2-7 post-All-Star record inspiring all the agita about the team.

Still, in the bigger picture, the Wings, long one of the WNBA’s more incompetent organizations, are right where they’re supposed to be based on the back-to-back No. 1 pick histories cited by Zack.

A team only has two-straight top picks if they’ve been bad. Escaping that ineptitude, even with top talents, not only takes time, but also is not linear. There are going to by ups and downs as an organization experiments with the best way to maximize their precious prospects.

For Dallas, Jessica Shepard has proven an effective offensive partner for Paige Bueckers, earning an All-Star starter honor as she piled up impressive offensive stats as a fully-empowered fulcrum for the Wings. Shepard, however, has significant defensive deficiencies, ones the Dallas leadership attempted to mitigate with Alanna Smith, last year’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. Smith, however, has experienced a mostly-cursed season in Dallas, with her integration and effectiveness limited by injuries. It’s also been another uneven season for Arike Ogunbowale, with her fluctuating offensive usage and effectiveness injecting unpredictability, rather than veteran stability, into the team.

The performance of those key veterans, plus other members of the Dallas supporting cast, is data that can be evaluated and then applied over the offseason so the Wings remain on, or ahead of, the top-pick trajectories mapped out by the 2002 Storm, 2016 Storm, 2018 Aces and 2024 Fever. The Bird-Jackson Storm won two titles (2004, 2010), the Jewell Loyd-Breanna Stewart Storm also captured two championships (2018, 2020), the A’ja Wilson-Jackie Young Aces have three titles (2022, 2023, 2025) and many project the Aliyah Boston-Caitlin Clark Fever to eventually raise a banner.

And to re-emphasize, the Wings, despite their recent woes and their inconsistent supporting players, are on pace to finish with a better first season record than any of those teams.

It is, however, slightly alarming that Azzi Fudd is undergoing a season-ending knee procedure after missing the Wings’ last five games with knee soreness, especially since the issue is with her right knee, the knee on which she suffered ACL and meniscus tears in 2023.

Nevertheless, it was encouraging to see the impact the first pick in the 2026 draft made for her team.

The Wings went 19-11 in games in which Azzi played. So, that’s one win without her. Ideally, the team would be able to survive without their star rookie. But, she is a star rookie. Her absence is not inconsequential.

Overall, the Wings had been at their best with Fudd on the court, with a +4.7 scoring margin per game in Azzi’s minutes. Bueckers ranks second in plus-minus on the team, with Dallas winning by an average of +2.6 points per game in her minutes.

As Dallas aims to make sure Paige and Azzi become yet another No. 1 pick pairing to win multiple titles, their on-court effective is what matters most. Health, at present, is the only potentially concerning crack in Dallas’ Bueckers-Fudd foundation.

Of course, in the immediate, it would still be nice to see the Wings rediscover some of their early-season rhythm ahead of the playoffs, even without the return of Fudd to provide a promising two-way boost.

Another date with the Indiana Fever is not the most inviting opponent for an optimism-inducing win (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video).

The Wings, however, have performed well against Indiana, splitting the season series in the two high-scoring showdowns between the offensively-inclined teams. Way back on opening day, the Wings earned an overtime win in Indy before the Fever exacted revenge just one week ago.

Ogunbowale, for all her ups and downs this season, has enjoyed playing against Indiana, scoring 42 points across the two games on fairly efficient shooting. Bueckers has also found success against the Fever, pouring in 29 points last week after putting in 20 points the first time around. Arike and Paige, in short, have been able to match the firepower of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, resulting in competitive contests.

On Thursday, who can emerge as the third star for the Wings, exceeding the production the Fever are likely to receive from Aliyah Boston or the emergent Mikayla Timpson?

In May, Shepard tallied a near triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but missed last week’s game. If this third matchup again trends toward offense, the Wings should benefit from having Shepard back in the lineup.

Another player who could prove clutch, both Thursday and moving forward, is Odyssey Sims.

Last season, the veteran guard was a life raft for the injury ravaged Fever, thriving in a role in which she is well-experienced. When a team needs extra guard help due to injury, they’ve often called Odyssey, and she usually comes through. Sims is not an ideal solution, explaining why she’s bounced around throughout her career, but she’s proven to be a trusted enough option for teams that find themselves in a tight spot.

She’s also been productive against her most-recent former team, contributing 20 points in the Wings’ opening win over the Fever and scoring 11 points and finishing as the only Wing with a positive plus-minus last week.

What’s your assessment of the present and future of the Wings?

Can the team, now knowing that Azzi will not return, begin to establish a “new normal” that results in more wins? Or, do you fear that the team will continue to struggle down the stretch and into the playoffs?

Looking further ahead, are you confident in the future of a Wings team built around Paige and Azzi? What moves do you think the organization needs to make to ensure that the duo fulfills their promise?