Watch Dallas Wings @ New York Liberty via a free live stream across Sky Sports digital platforms on Sunday at 5pm or watch the game 'as live' on Sky Sports Arena at 8:30pm
Sunday 13 September 2020 21:50, UK
The Dallas Wings' playoff hopes hang by a thread. The New York Liberty are already eliminated. But both teams have reason to believe they had bright futures ahead.
The problem with being a young gutsy team that scraps and claws your way to the brink of the playoffs is that you are expected to take the next step the following year and battle for home court advantage. You are expected to grow up pretty quickly. And another 12 months down the line, championship expectations start to build.
Even if the Dallas Wings win their last regular-season game against the New York Liberty and secure a playoff spot, they will not necessarily be guaranteed one in 2021. None of this year's top teams have any intention of dropping out, and the Wings' rivals in the race for the WNBA's final playoff spot - the Washington Mystics and the Atlanta Dream - will have their say, too.
The Mystics will hope for the return of Elena Delle Donne, Natasha Cloud and LaToya Sanders, their championship core from 2019. The Dream, eliminated from his season's playoff race on Saturday, have a promising squad led by the potential Rookie of the Year, Chennedy Carter, and one of the best go-to scoring guards in Courtney Williams.
Then there's the Indiana Fever, who are putting together a good base of young talent that is learning from a great coach. And, of course, you have the Liberty.
"We have a really talented team."
New York center Kiah Stokes is affectionately known as one of the 'baby-vets', owing to her status as one of just three players on the Liberty roster with more than two years' experience.
She said: "The rookies this year are going to grow a lot and we have a lot of players coming back. This year didn't go exactly how we wanted in terms of wins and losses but we're going to be really good next year and the following years."
Stokes joined the team in 2016, when the Liberty were one of the better squads in the league for her first two seasons, but they struggled to compete in 2018 and 2019. It will be hard to identify any specific stretch of play they can build on from this year. Asia Durr didn't start the season due to injury, and top draft pick Sabrina Ionescu didn't make it five games before going down with an ankle injury.
New general manager Jonathan Kolb built the team with seven rookies, and new head coach Walter Hopkins had periods of play when he relied on his older players. More recently we have seen the likes of Amanda Zahui B - one of the other veterans - benched for younger talent, including Paris Kea, who only joined the team halfway through the season.
There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, but Kea tried to describe what the young group can take away from this season. She said: "Coming in and trying to make an impact and bring in some wins. One person can't do it. It takes a team effort. Having practices, having time outside, even time away when you can clear your mind and you can think about things other than basketball."
Dallas reached this level of understanding much earlier in the season, and next year they will work on becoming consistent. Allisha Gray is averaging a career high in scoring this year but she recognised the team's inconsistencies: "The biggest thing is just staying focused. We have a young group so it shows we have longevity in the league. We need to just stay together, grow year on year, little by little."
With three rookies, four second year players and no one with more than four years of experience on the Wings, they too have a young roster. Outside of losing veteran big Isabelle Harrison and guard Moriah Jefferson, the team's stars have had relatively good health until recently - Gray, Satou Sabally and Katie-Lou Samuelson were out with various ailments against the Chicago Sky on Friday.
But guard Arike Ogunbowale is undoubtedly the piece to build around for Dallas. She possesses a Diana Taurasi-approach to taking over a game and averaged 2.9 clutch points this season to lead the league for anyone with more than five games played. She also leads the league in scoring average this year, at 22.6 points per game. Even if the team's record isn't positive, the Wings have been competitive with her leading the charge.
She said: "I think we have put the whole league on notice that we are a young team and we are going to be around for a while, especially this young group. A lot of our losses have been by a small amount of points and we have competed in every game we've played in. Top teams, middle teams, any teams, we have been in it, and that' i whether it's a win or a loss."
But this young team shouldn't try to grow up too quickly. Tom Hanks in the movie 'Big' didn't go from being 13 years old to 30 without some missteps along the way. Some of the Wings' games have seen this roster look in sync, like playing 'Heart and Soul' on a giant foot piano in a toy store, but the higher expectations of next season might make some players wish to Zoltar that they could go back to being the young, plucky underdogs.
Wings assistant coach Crystal Robinson understands. She is a WNBA legend and recognised that the younger players can't grow up without some help: "We see that we can score the ball. I think we see some holes where we could add players that would add great value to us.
"We know what we have and we know what we need. You don't just take players just because they fill a spot. We are in a situation with some really great players, now we just need to filter in some players that mesh in with that."
Regardless of whether Dallas beat New York and make the playoffs, or if the Liberty can have a last hurrah for the season and take advantage of the Wings' late injury woes, it won't take long before each team leaves the 'Wubble' and returns home.
And while the teams will enter next season with different goals, they will both have hope and optimism.
Robinson explained just how important next year will be: "I think there is camaraderie and we can see the things that we can do, and the potential."
And Stokes had a similar mindset: "There's so much potential for growth. We can be really good."
If no playoff appearances come from this pandemic-shortened season for the Wings and the Liberty, at least it showed that 2021 is going to be big.
Watch Dallas Wings @ New York Liberty via a free live stream across Sky Sports digital platforms on Sunday at 5pm or watch the game 'as live' on Sky Sports Arena at 8:30pm
