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I shared some thoughts on the future of the WNBA season yesterday and we had three games last night tipping off. But the reality is that for most people, today will mark the official start of women’s basketball because Catilin Clark will be playing. That’s right, the Indiana Fever and everyone’s favorite female hooper take center stage today as they host another beloved player in Paige Buecker and the Dallas Wings.
The Dallas Wings underwent a bit of a makeover in the offseason. Sure, they’re still led by Bueckers and they have a strong playmaker, Arike Ogunbowale, but now they also have last year’s co-defensive player, Alanna Smith, and they have the No. 1 overall pick, Azzi Fudd. In case you aren’t aware, this is the second straight season the Wings have had the top pick in the draft. That should give you an indication of how successful or good this franchise has been.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers defends Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a layup in a WNBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Photos)
I’m not trying to knock them. They were able to get two of the best players coming out of college, both from UConn, in two years and added players to hopefully turn the team around. There are some questions about how good the team can be outside of the four women I’ve mentioned, but the Wings will certainly be better than last year’s 10-win team. What should be interesting to me is how Fudd operates in this offense. Bueckers makes his own shots, but I don’t see Fudd doing much of that. If the defense has to focus on Bueckers and Ogunbowale, she might be open to doing her damage.
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On the other hand is the Indiana fever. I’d be shocked if most of the casual WNBA fans could name anyone outside of the “Tres Leches” that plays on the Fever, but they actually have two other great players outside of Clark. Aliyah Boston, a former No. 1 overall pick, signed a huge deal in the offseason to stay in Indiana and arguably had her best season last year. That was a good sign because now that Clark is back, the offense has another person for teams to worry about. Another hooper that fans should familiarize themselves with is Kelsey Mitchell.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham works the floor against Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers during the first half of a WNBA game in Dallas on June 27, 2025. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Mitchell brought the Fever to the WNBA semifinals last season before they lost to the Aces. She averaged a career-high 20.2 points last year and established herself as a true threat. Again the floor could open up for her with Clark leading the way. That’s not to rule out Lexi Hull or Sophie Cunningham, both very capable role players for the team. Cunningham will bring toughness, outside shooting and strong defense to the team even as she returns from injury. Hull was almost out of the league until she became a deep threat.
In today’s game, we should expect to see a few things – Clark will likely get fewer than 30 minutes as they try to ease her back in after just 13 games last season. I’ve also heard rumors that she’ll be playing off the ball this year, which should be a nice change from the full court press she’s been dealing with for two years. I also expect the Fever to try to figure some things out on offense.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers plays against the Golden State Valkyries during the second half at the College Park Center in Dallas, Texas. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
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The Wings will be in a similar situation. This is the first meaningful game they will play with a new coach, new teammates and a highly touted rookie. None of these things make for a high scoring game. I know why the total is so high – the Wings were terrible on defense last year and the Fever can score in bunches. However, this game is too high at 175.5. You ask the teams to score 85 and 90 points. It doesn’t happen in the first game of the season. Give me under. For the record, when the Wings’ defense was worse last year, the teams combined to score 175, 185, 166 and 161 points in their four games. This will be a multi-unit game for me.
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