The Dallas Wings kicked off their season with an impressive win over the Indiana Fever, and for a moment, it felt like things were finally clicking into place. But just a couple of games later, the mood around the team has shifted. Despite building comfortable leads in back-to-back outings, the Wings failed to close things out, something head coach Jose Fernandez is clearly unhappy about. 

Against the Minnesota Lynx, Dallas once again looked in control early, building a double-digit lead while getting a huge 27-point performance from Paige Bueckers. But the game completely slipped away late, as the Wings collapsed down the stretch and suffered a crushing 90-86 home loss. Following the defeat, head coach Jose Fernandez did not hold back while addressing what he believes is becoming a growing issue within the locker room. 

“There’s selfishness in this locker room,” he said during a postgame interview. “You gotta look in the mirror and be accountable on how you played. Don’t get upset if you think that you should’ve played more, or you didn’t play enough, or you didn’t get the shots that you think you should have gotten.”

“Really good teams, they don’t give a s*** about that. You know what they give a s*** about? They give a s*** about winning,” he added.

Jose Fernandez openly questioning his team’s mentality, only three games into the season, definitely raised some eyebrows. However, ironically, the timing of his saying this also stands out, as just before the game, Paige Bueckers herself admitted she was trying to become “more selfish.” But while the second-year star finally looked more aggressive, the coach’s comments made it clear that Dallas is still trying to find the right balance between individual growth and team basketball. There were plenty of reasons for frustration during the loss.

Dallas opened the night with far more energy and confidence as Bueckers came out firing as soon as the whistle went off and scored seven points in the first four minutes, which forced Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve to call an early timeout.

But then the Wings’ turnovers started piling up, their defensive rotations completely broke down, and they struggled in the fourth quarter, just like they did in their last game against the Atlanta Dream. Minnesota closed the final 3:26 on an 11-3 run, repeatedly attacking the paint through simple pick-and-roll actions that Dallas simply could not stop. 

In the final three minutes of the game, the Wings managed just three points and struggled to rotate the ball effectively, while Paige Bueckers became almost non-existent offensively down the stretch. She scored just one point over the final three minutes, missed a free throw with 13 seconds remaining that could have cut the deficit to one, and also failed to convert a late three-point attempt.

Now, whether that collapse happened because the pressure got to the players or because too many individuals were trying to force their own moments is up for debate. But the head coach clearly seems to believe it was the latter because, in a star-studded lineup like this, it’s not hard to believe that players are looking for their own moment to shine.

“They got everything they wanted,” the coach said. “We went over ball screens, we switched, we trapped. When things are not going well for you offensively, you’ve got to play a lot harder on the defensive end.” Even Bueckers acknowledged that their defense let the game slip away. “We’ve got to be better in our pick-and-roll defense. We’ve got to give ourselves grace but keep the urgency to learn and grow.”

But while you can understand the criticism, calling his own players “selfish” just three games into the season was something Cynthia Cooper clearly did not appreciate. 

“Egoistic. I want to say they had 11 assists in the first quarter. How are you going to be selfish? 11 on 12 baskets? 22 for the game? I believe, at some point, Dallas lost control of the game. And because they lost control of the game, they look for ways out of it. But they’re too young of a team to figure it out all the way, and especially by themselves,” she said during the WNBA postgame show on Amazon Prime. 

She does have a point. According to Rotowire, the average age of the Dallas Wings roster is 27, which ranks them seventh in the league, right in the middle compared to the rest of the WNBA. And despite the star power on the roster, this is still a team that clearly has a lot to learn when it comes to closing out games. At the same time, we probably shouldn’t be overly critical of them either because the Wings also have the toughest opening stretch in the league.

Yes, you read that right. According to ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, the Dallas Wings are set to face eight playoff teams from last season within their first 11 games, giving them arguably the toughest opening schedule in the entire WNBA.

This young Wings squad has already gone up against three playoff teams from last year, and realistically, they could have easily come away with three wins. That frustration is obviously beginning to show from head coach Jose Fernandez, but the early signs for this team are still largely positive. For a franchise that won just 10 games last season, Dallas is showing far more fight and competitiveness, which is why comments like these from Fernandez could eventually prove detrimental to the team’s growth and confidence. 

Dallas now owns a 1-2 record, but with it still being early in the season, there’s plenty of time to turn things around.

What’s next for Jose Fernandez and the Wings?

With this loss in their bag, the Dallas Wings have had their only win coming against the Indiana Fever in the season opener.

Sure, it’s not the start Dallas would have wanted, but this team is still trying to build chemistry together. And it is also worth noting that their latest game did not come without positives either.

Bueckers is beginning to look far more comfortable as the centerpiece of the offense. The 24-year-old finished the night with 27 points and eight assists while shooting confidently from all over the floor.

But the problem is, you can rarely go so far in this sport with only a single piece clicking.

So now, alongside fixing the team’s defensive mistakes and late-game execution, Jose Fernandez also needs to make sure this roster fully buys into the same mindset.

With their next game all set to take place on May 18 against the Washington Mystics, all eyes will be on this team to see how they respond.