Telling Stat Emerges Amid the Wings' Win Streak - and the WNBA Should Be Worried

The Dallas Wings have rattled off four straight wins, beating the New York Liberty (91–76), the Las Vegas Aces (95–87), the Seattle Storm (79–56), and the Los Angeles Sparks (104–96), two of which came on the road, to push their record to 7–3, good for the second-best mark in the entire league, trailing only the Minnesota Lynx (9–2).

Dallas is averaging 89.4 points per game, the second most in the WNBA, led by reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers with 18.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game, on 49.3% shooting from the field and 40.9% from three.

Now, a team that finished 10–34 all of last season is now three wins away from matching that total, and suddenly looks like a genuine contender.

But here’s where it gets really interesting.

ESPN Analytics reported at the start of the season that Dallas faced the toughest schedule in the WNBA through its first 11 games.

The Wings haven’t been feasting on pushovers. They knocked off the Indiana Fever, Washington Mystics, and Chicago Sky before reeling off four straight, two of which were against title favorites (Liberty and Aces).

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After a brutal 2025 campaign, the Wings landed the No. 1 pick in back-to-back drafts, first Bueckers in 2025, then sharpshooter Azzi Fudd in 2026.

And this offseason, GM Curt Miller went all-in. He brought in Alanna Smith, the 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, to anchor the defense. He added three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark for veteran leadership and signed Jessica Shepard, who led the entire WNBA in field goal percentage last season at 63.8%.

Miller also brought back former No. 2 overall pick Awak Kuier and re-signed four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale to a two-year max deal, then he hired head coach Jose Fernandez, fresh off a legendary 25-year run at South Florida.

Still, preseason expectations were cautiously optimistic. Most analysts figured a playoff run was plausible, maybe a .500 season if things clicked. But a legitimate contender felt like a stretch.

Now, through the first quarter of the regular season, they’re arguably the hottest team in basketball.

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Minnesota remains a problem. Las Vegas has championship DNA and still sits at 7–3, while the Liberty are riding a four-game streak of their own, and are 7–4. But Dallas has already beaten the defending champs and looks every bit like a team that believes it belongs.

If the Wings win the title in 2026, it would be the first championship in franchise history, and arguably the most remarkable turnaround in WNBA history.

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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 11:31 PM.