DHJ Quick Take: Alanna Smith is Back<\/p>\n
The Transition Catalyst: The most significant takeaway from Alanna Smith\u2018s first practice is the \u201cgrab-and-go\u201d capability she adds to the transition game. By starting the break herself off the glass, Smith forces opposing bigs to defend in space and allows Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James to fill the wings early, matching the \u201cnever a stagnant moment\u201d philosophy Jose Fernandez has installed.<\/p>\n
The Co-DPOY Presence: Smith arrives as the reigning 2025 WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and her mindset as a communicative anchor is the solution to the Wings\u2018 defensive struggles. Her ability to switch, talk through coverages, and protect the rim (1.9 BPG in 2025) provides the backline security that allows perimeter defenders to play more aggressively.<\/p>\n
The Bueckers Connectivity: The chemistry between Smith and Paige Bueckers is already forming through a shared high-IQ approach. Smith\u2019s praise of Bueckers\u2018 underrated floor-seeing ability suggests a potent high-low or pick-and-pop partnership that will only grow in the Wings\u2018 full \u201cEuropean-style\u201d misdirection sets.<\/p>\n
Veteran Standards: Entering her eighth season, Smith brings a \u201cFinals-tested\u201d perspective to a young roster. Her emphasis on endurance and peaking at the right time\u2014citing the Las Vegas Aces\u2018 championship run\u2014serves as a stabilizing influence for a team currently navigating a shortened camp with multiple missing pieces.<\/p>\n
ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 Alanna Smith<\/a> rejoined the Dallas Wings<\/a> at College Park Center on Saturday, marking her first practice with the team since immigration matters pulled her away from training camp earlier in the week.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-4 stretch big, who signed with the Wings in free agency this offseason after two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, said she was determined to be on the floor Saturday despite arriving back in the country late the night before.<\/p>\n \u201cNot being able to be part of the full training camp so far, the chances I do get, I want to be in it,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThe best way to learn is by doing. I want to play and get to know people on the court. When I\u2019m here, I\u2019m here, they\u2019re going to have to drag me off.\u201d<\/p>\n Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said Smith\u2019s return immediately added a dimension the team that was missed during her time away from the group. <\/p>\n \u201cShe got back late last night, and she could have not gone today,\u201d Fernandez told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cIt was great because now she gets it off the glass, and for me, she starts the break. She can handle it. Now we can play fast, share it, get our wings in the deep corners, and occupy the slots. Shepard would do the same thing as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith averaged 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game in 26.5 minutes across 42 starts for Minnesota in 2025, earning her first WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award and an All-Defensive First Team selection. She finished as the league\u2019s runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 with the Lynx after being named to the All-Defensive Second Team.<\/p>\n Alanna Smith\u2019s Transition Game Adds a New Look<\/p>\n Smith said the ability for a big to grab and go gives the Wings a different look in transition, one that puts pressure on opposing bigs to defend in space rather than letting them recover to the paint.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives a different look. When the same players bring it up every time, it\u2019s easier for the defense to match up,\u201d Smith told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cBut when different players push the ball, it forces bigs to guard handlers, it\u2019s harder. It gives guards like Paige and Arike more looks in transition instead of handling every time. It fits where the game is going, players doing multiple things.\u201d<\/p>\n That style fits directly into the offense Fernandez has been installing all camp, one Bueckers described earlier in the week as a system where there is \u201cnever a stagnant moment.\u201d With Smith capable of starting the break off her own rebound, the Wings can flow into the same kinds of misdirection and movement actions without first having to swing the ball back to a guard.<\/p>\n Fernandez said the team got an immediate read on the impact on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. We have a lot of pieces that are not here, but the biggest thing I thought today was we played with incredible pace and spacing. The shot selection was outstanding. They went from good to great. We got the right people the basketball, so that\u2019s very, very important,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cPeople are embracing their roles, so that\u2019s always great, and that\u2019s how it needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Defensive Identity at the Anchor Spot<\/p>\n Smith is a former WNBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist who has built her career on the defensive end, and she said her mindset against elite scorers in the league is uncomplicated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pretty competitive. When I\u2019m out there, all I\u2019m thinking is: you don\u2019t score. That\u2019s my main goal,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWhen people do score on me, I get upset and it fuels me a little bit. But that\u2019s the mindset, you can\u2019t score.\u201d<\/p>\n She said her defensive role within Fernandez\u2019s system will be an anchor spot, one that requires her to be the connective communicator on that end of the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cDefensively, being an anchor, reliable, always helping, always talking, making sure I have my teammates\u2019 backs,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Offensively, Smith said Fernandez has given her freedom to operate as a versatile piece rather than slotting her into a single role.<\/p>\n \u201cOffensively, a little bit of everything. Jose has given me freedom to score, distribute, and space the floor, just read the game,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWith the talent we have, that becomes easier.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernandez said the defensive end was the area that still needs the most work coming out of Saturday\u2019s session.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good. We\u2019ve got to get better defensively. The offensive side of the ball wasn\u2019t a problem today,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n Catching Up Through the Group Chat<\/p>\n Smith said the coaching staff and her new teammates kept her dialed in on the install schedule throughout her time away, with Bueckers, in particular, leading the communication effort.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were awesome. I had Paige texting me nonstop, I had to tell her to stop. I\u2019m kidding,\u201d Smith told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cBut coaches, players, everyone\u2019s been great. I\u2019ve been able to pick things up really quickly, and it\u2019s been easy to get a feel for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n That feedback echoes what Wings general manager Curt Miller described earlier in the week, when he detailed the workload the coaching staff has taken on to keep the absent players up to speed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coaching staff is doing a tremendous job. After every practice, they communicate everything, terminology, sets, installs,\u201d Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cPractice ends, and then they go coach the players who weren\u2019t there. That process continues throughout the night. It\u2019s being received well, but it\u2019s a big responsibility to coach remotely until those players arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n That communication mirrors what Bueckers described earlier in the week about the staff\u2019s approach to keeping the absent players ready.<\/p>\n \u201cOur coaching staff has done a great job getting film, getting things on tape, and writing plays down so the players overseas can learn them,\u201d Bueckers said. \u201cThat way when they come, they can implement right away and get into the system.\u201d<\/p>\n Reading Paige Bueckers in Real Time<\/p>\n Smith said playing with Paige Bueckers<\/a> for the first time, after competing against her last season, has revealed aspects of Bueckers\u2019 game that people sometimes overlook.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s an elite scorer at all three levels,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut her ability to distribute and see the floor is underrated. Once we build that trust, I\u2019m going to benefit a lot from playing with her. She has very high IQ, and it\u2019ll be fun to develop that chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith also said the energy and communication coming from Bueckers during practice has stood out.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople here love the game. You hear constant communication, Paige is probably the loudest, talking a lot from the sideline,\u201d Smith said. \u201cPeople celebrate each other\u2019s wins. That\u2019s something I try to do, make sure everyone feels valued and recognized. Everyone has been really good at that, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s been fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading a Young Core<\/p>\n The Wings\u2019 returning roster is anchored by a mix of veterans who are currently in Arlington for training camp, including Bueckers,\u00a0Maddy Siegrist<\/a>, and\u00a0Aziaha James<\/a>, among others. Smith, entering her seventh year in the league, said the leadership lift required from her has been lighter than she expected.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re young, but we have really high IQ players. They know what they\u2019re doing and take feedback really well,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do much in terms of critical feedback, people self-correct. I\u2019m really impressed with how they learn on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernandez said Smith is one of several veterans who have already shifted the standard inside the practice gym.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce these other players get here, they\u2019ve been preparing with everything they\u2019ve received, it raises the bar in here with what\u2019s missing,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to them getting here and adding to the culture and standards we\u2019ve established in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing the Long Game<\/p>\n Smith said the perspective she has gained over her previous seven seasons has shaped how she thinks about championship contention. She reached the 2024 WNBA Finals with the Lynx and has seen plenty of playoff basketball. She referenced the Las Vegas Aces, who peaked at the right time before winning the championship last season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to remember it\u2019s a long season. You can\u2019t overreact to early games,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to start winning, but things can look very different by the end, like what Vegas did last year. It\u2019s about getting better every game and being at your best at the end. The playoffs are tough, longer, more exhausting, so it\u2019s about endurance and peaking at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n Up Next<\/p>\n The Wings continue training camp with Jessica Shepard<\/a>, Arike Ogunbowale, and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu<\/a> still expected to return in the coming days. There isn\u2019t a clear timeline yet for Awak Kuier<\/a> as she completes immigration requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DHJ Quick Take: Alanna Smith is Back The Transition Catalyst: The most significant takeaway from Alanna Smith\u2018s first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-606562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}