DHJ Quick Take: The Blueprint Revealed<\/p>\n
Culture Over Everything: Miller\u2018s emphasis that they accomplished their talent goals \u201cwithout sacrifice\u201d to the locker room is a direct nod to the high-character mandate he\u2019s championed. By targeting Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard as \u201cculture-first\u201d players, the Wings have ensured that their stars\u2014Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale\u2014are surrounded by elite teammates, not just elite stats.<\/p>\n
Unlocking Awak and Li: The most tactical takeaway is Miller\u2019s plan to use frontcourt depth to move Awak Kuier to the small forward (3) position. Pairing her length with a picking-and-popping Li Yueru gives Jose Fernandez a \u201cEuropean-style\u201d spacing advantage that will be a nightmare for traditional WNBA defenses to track.<\/p>\n
The \u201cUltimate Piece\u201d Strategy: By bringing in veteran point guards like Odyssey Sims and Lindsay Allen, Miller is intentionally freeing up Paige Bueckers to be a multi-positional threat. This depth ensures that Dallas doesn\u2019t lose its offensive identity when Arike Ogunbowale or Azzi Fudd are off the floor.<\/p>\n
The Fudd Gravity: Miller\u2019s assessment of Azzi Fudd\u2019s \u201cshooting floor\u201d vs. her \u201cself-creation ceiling\u201d is the key to the Wings\u2018 offensive evolution. In a system built on ball movement and misdirection, Fudd\u2019s ability to punish teams that over-help on Paige or Arike is what will ultimately dictate the team\u2019s July and August surge.<\/p>\n
DALLAS \u2014\u00a0Dallas Wings<\/a> general manager Curt Miller sat down with Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> ahead of Sunday\u2019s training camp opener with plenty to discuss. After one of the most transformative offseasons in franchise history, Miller broke down the frontcourt additions, guard competition, Jose Fernandez\u2019s system, and what fans should expect as this new-look roster comes together.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about the pieces Jose gets to mold and how it all comes together,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the throughline of everything Miller discussed \u2014 patience, depth, and belief that what the Wings have assembled this offseason will look considerably different in July than it does when camp opens Sunday in Arlington.<\/p>\n The Frontcourt Vision<\/p>\n Miller was effusive about what Alanna Smith<\/a> and Jessica Shepard<\/a> bring to a frontcourt that has been rebuilt from scratch \u2014 and specific about how the two complement each other and the rest of the team. But he started with the culture piece first.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve accomplished without sacrifice what we wanted to do in the locker room. We wanted to continue to not only raise the talent level, but also maintain great chemistry with great culture, people first and foremost. They both check the culture box and are great teammates in the locker room, so we\u2019re really excited about that,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the court, their skill sets dovetail in ways that give Fernandez genuine flexibility. Shepard\u2019s passing ability and perimeter decision-making make her a natural fit in pick-and-roll actions alongside Bueckers, while Smith\u2019s ability to stretch the floor and attack closeouts off the dribble creates a different kind of problem for opposing defenses \u2014 one that punishes both soft coverage and aggressive help rotations.<\/p>\n \u201cJess Shepard is on the perimeter and is a really, really good decision-maker and passer. When Alanna is on the perimeter, she can really stretch it, score it, or drive by you on a bad closeout. Jess is a tremendous finisher around the rim,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cSo they complement each other \u2014 they can play inside and out.\u201d<\/p>\n The pair weren\u2019t afterthoughts in Dallas\u2019 offseason planning \u2014 they were the targets from the beginning, even as the market around them shifted daily under the most compressed free agency timeline in league history.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had four or five names on a piece of paper \u2014 one kind of faded for us \u2014 so every night I\u2019d go to bed looking at two or three names,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cWe ended up with Jess and Alanna, and those were our two targets. I can\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n Awak Kuier, Li Yueru, and the Frontcourt Depth<\/p>\n The Smith and Shepard additions didn\u2019t happen in isolation. Miller made clear they were part of a deliberate plan to give Fernandez the frontcourt depth necessary to unlock Awak Kuier<\/a>\u2018s versatility \u2014 specifically her ability to play the three, a spot she thrives at but one that requires reliable post depth behind her to make it sustainable.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a huge goal to re-sign Awak, and then we wanted to sign impactful post players,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cWe needed that depth because of Awak\u2019s versatility \u2014 we can play her in a lot of different places, including the three. Awak enjoys playing the three, but you have to have the post depth in order to play a talented player like her not at the four.\u201d<\/p>\n Li Yueru<\/a> adds another dimension to that frontcourt equation that Miller believes is still being underappreciated. The 6-foot-7 center\u2019s ability to step out and shoot off pick-and-pop actions gives Dallas a spacing option at the five that few teams in the league can match \u2014 and Miller sees that skill set only getting sharper under Fernandez\u2019s ball-movement-heavy system.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving post depth with Li allows you to do a lot of different things with Awak, and now you have a really big lineup at the 3, 4, and 5,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cI sometimes love Li more picking and popping than picking and rolling. She had a good year at the arc, and she\u2019s only going to get better. I just think her best basketball days are still ahead of her.\u201d<\/p>\n Retaining Yueru after the expansion draft wasn\u2019t a given \u2014 the Wings had multiple players exposed, and losing her would have created a meaningful gap in the frontcourt depth Miller was trying to build. When the dust settled and Yueru was still in Dallas, it confirmed a key piece of the organizational vision was intact.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the Expansion Draft was over and the dust settled, knowing that Li was going to be back with us was really exciting,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Guard Depth<\/p>\n Dallas\u2019 backcourt has become the most discussed element of the roster \u2014 with guards competing for a handful of spots alongside Paige Bueckers<\/a>, Arike Ogunbowale<\/a>, and Azzi Fudd<\/a>. Miller explained the philosophy behind assembling such a deep group.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an emphasis to bring in some veteran point guards to compete for a spot on our roster, because we like to move Paige off the ball at times,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cSo when an Arike or an Azzi are off the floor, and you can bring in a quality point guard, it allows you to move your ultimate piece \u2014 Paige \u2014 around on the court. That was really important.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller was specific about some returning guards who have already earned his trust \u2014 and equally specific about the newcomers he believes can push the competition to another level.<\/p>\n \u201cJJ had a tremendous year. Grace did what we needed her to do when she came in during a tough time last year. Now we have Lindsay Allen<\/a> and Odyssey Sims<\/a> all fighting for a spot to really take hold of,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m excited about that, and ultimately how it allows Paige to play different positions.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s before accounting for a player who hasn\u2019t even entered the conversation yet \u2014 one Miller clearly views as a significant piece of what Dallas is building.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not even talking about players like Maddy Siegrist<\/a> yet. Our depth has greatly increased from last year,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Jose Fernandez\u2019s Scheme<\/p>\n For fans still getting acquainted with Jose Fernandez after his arrival from USF, Miller offered the clearest window yet into what his system will look like at the professional level \u2014 and why the roster Dallas has assembled is specifically designed to thrive in it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe easiest way to sum it up is he gets the best players the ball, and he puts them in position to find success. That\u2019s underrated,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cHe loves player movement, ball movement, and a lot of misdirection \u2014 very much more European style. I\u2019m excited to see how it all comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n The size question \u2014 how a guard-heavy roster holds up against bigger lineups \u2014 is the one critics will point to most often. Miller addressed it directly, and his answer reflected a coaching staff that has already thought through the matchup problem from both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be small compared to some teams with bigger lineups, but we still have Maddie, we still have Alysha \u2014 Alysha Clark<\/a> trying to win a spot on the roster \u2014 and we have the ability to move Awak around,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cAt times we\u2019ll be small, but as Jose keeps mentioning, they have to guard us too when we are small.\u201d<\/p>\n For all the attention on the headliners, Miller\u2019s point is that the Wings\u2019 depth extends well beyond what most observers are even discussing yet \u2014 and he used one name specifically to illustrate how far down the roster the quality runs. Players like Aziaha James<\/a> and Maddy Siegrist<\/a>, coming off productive seasons, provide necessary depth for Dallas.<\/p>\n \u201cI love our depth. We\u2019re not even talking about players like Aziaha James yet. We\u2019re not talking about Maddy Siegrist yet,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cOur depth has greatly increased from last year. I\u2019m excited about the pieces Jose gets to mold and how it all comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n Azzi Fudd\u2019s Ceiling<\/p>\n Fudd\u2019s shooting ability has dominated the pre- and post-draft conversation, but Miller\u2019s most animated moments in the interview came when the topic shifted to what she will become once defenses can no longer devote their best perimeter defender to stopping her every night.<\/p>\n \u201cHer floor right away is being one of the elite shooters,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cShe just spent the entire year being guarded by the best perimeter defender on the other team. Now she comes in, and when you talk about Paige, Arike, and the other guards we have, she won\u2019t have that level of defensive attention every night.\u201d<\/p>\n Fudd\u00a0is coming off a strong 2025-26 season with UConn. She started all 39 games, averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game on personal-best shooting percentages by shooting 48.9% from the floor, 45.5% on 3-pointers, and 95.5% on free throws. For totals, she set single-season career highs in points (673), rebounds (100), assists (117), blocks (18), and steals (97). <\/p>\n The shooting floor is already established. What Miller is most focused on is the ceiling \u2014 and he identified two specific areas for development that, if realized, would make Fudd a significantly harder player to game plan against than she already is. Opponents will have to determine how to match up against Bueckers and Ogunbowale, while also creating chances for Fudd to attack weaker defenders. <\/p>\n \u201cHer movement, her unselfishness, her ability to score the basketball \u2014 I\u2019m really excited about. But I\u2019m even more excited about her growth areas: continuing to improve her self-creation, and ultimately, she\u2019s such a good foul shooter \u2014 how do we get her to the foul line more?\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cI think you\u2019ll see that evolve over the next few years. When she adds that element, getting to the line more, she has such a high ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n Patience Is the Theme<\/p>\n With so many new faces, so many international arrivals still in transit, and a head coach installing a system for the first time at the professional level, Miller was careful to set realistic expectations for what the first few weeks of the season will look like \u2014 and equally clear about where he believes this team is headed once the pieces click.<\/p>\n \u201cThis team is going to have to wear name tags early. There\u2019s a lot of new pieces,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cMultiple post players will be late to camp because of international obligations or immigration issues, so he\u2019s going to have to work really hard. What I know is this team is going to look a heck of a lot different in July than it does in May. We\u2019re going to have to have patience as this group comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n