From one historic season to another, the WNBA’s 25th season is set to tip-off on May 14th. The league will commemorate the 25th season with a campaign, “Count It” and a distinguishing and purposeful 25th season logo. The WNBA will also celebrate the ways its players have shattered expectations and have stood at the forefront of advancement, inclusion, and social change for 25 years.

In the lead up to the season, WNBA.com will break down each team in the league. Next up: the Dallas Wings.

The 2020 season had its mix of highs and lows for the Dallas Wings. While the team missed the playoffs for the second straight season – finishing one game behind Washington for the eighth and final spot in the field – the Wings saw great progress from some of their young players. Arike Ogunbowale won the WNBA scoring title in just her second season posting 22.8 PPG. Satou Sabally was a unanimous choice for the All-Rookie Team after averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in her first professional season.

With two young stars already emerging, the Wings added two more potential young stars in Charli Collier and Awak Kuier with the first two picks in the 2020 WNBA Draft. The Wings have a roster overflowing with young talent for new head coach Vickie Johnson to work with and develop. With training camp underway and the regular season on the horizon, the Wings have incredible potential, but can they translate that potential into wins in 2021?

Now we prepare for May 14! 💪#TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/UXxmMRRcsy

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) May 8, 2021

2020 Season Recap

• 8-14, 9th Place in League
• Did not qualify for postseason

Offseason Moves

After back-to-back seasons under .500, the Wings and head coach Brian Agler decided to part ways. In December, Johnson was hired as the team’s third head coach since relocating to Dallas in 2016. She inherited a young and talented roster from 2020, and that was before the Wings earned the No. 2 pick in the Draft Lottery and traded for the No. 1 pick in order to add the duo of Collier and Kuier to the roster.

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄. 💯@charlicollier x @KuierAwak #TakeFlight#WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/HYy5gLnka3

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 15, 2021

It was the first time in WNBA history that a team held the top two picks in the draft and the Wings used those picks to select two of the most talented bigs in the field. With Ogunbowale and former No. 2 overall pick Moriah Jefferson leading the backcourt, Sabally and former Rookie of the Year Allisha Gray on the wings, the Dallas added two young bigs to add to their foundation.

Outside of the trade prior to the draft, the offseason was not overly eventful for the Wings. They exercised team options on Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, resigned Gray, signed Kayla Thornton (their most veteran player with five years experience) to an extension, and signed their rookies – including No. 5 pick Chelsea Dungee and No. 13 pick Dana Evans – and got ready for training camp.

One Big Question Heading Into 2021

Is 2021 a Playoff Year or a Development Year?

The answer to this question really comes to down to how well Collier, Kuier, Dungee and Evans transition to the WNBA; the continued development of Sabally, Ogunbowale and Tyasha Harris, and the health of Jefferson, who has played just 46 games over the past four seasons combined after her promising rookie campaign in San Antonio in 2016.

🧽 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 🧽

📸: @CooperNeill #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/JpxZMkkS2n

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) May 7, 2021

The Wings have gone just 18-38 (0.321) over the past two seasons since the team lost the All-Star duo of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage. The fact that they have been able to stack their roster full of young talent so quickly is outstanding. Now it’s time to take the next step and become a playoff team again.

WNBA Draft Ranking

Following the 2021 WNBA Draft, Michelle Smith ranked every team’s draft decisions. She rated Dallas 1st out of the 12 WNBA teams.

“The team with the best chance to improve itself made the moves it needed to make with the addition of Charli Collier and Awak Kuier at No. 1 and No. 2 overall respectively, and suddenly the Wings have balance. Then they added two of the collegiate game’s biggest names in Arkansas’ Chelsea Dungee and Louisville’s Dana Evans. With that, in a draft viewed as a little light, the Wings were the undisputed heavy hitters. Head coach Vickie Johnson is going to have some difficult choices to make by the end of training camp to assemble a roster worthy of the postseason.”

Where to Watch

The Dallas Wings open the 2021 WNBA season in Los Angeles to take on the Sparks on Friday, May 14 at 10:30 p.m. ET on Facebook.