The Dallas Wings’ difference maker, the excellence of Erica Wheeler and three more things to watch in the WNBA

Whether you’re going with Gabby, all about Aliyah or picking Plum, be sure to submit your final 2025 WNBA All-Star ballots before voting closes just before midnight on Friday.

Then, prepare for the start of the WNBA’s weekend slate, with five games scheduled for Friday night.

• Indiana Fever vs. Dallas Wings (7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
• Minnesota Lynx vs. Atlanta Dream (7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
• Chicago Sky vs. Golden State Valkyries (10 p.m. ET, ION)
• New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury (10 p.m. ET, ION)
• Connecticut Sun vs. Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, ION)

Here’s a one question each for the quintet of must-watch matchups:

Is the Li Yueru bump real?

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Caitlin vs. Paige. Paige vs. Caitlin. (We’ll see if Clark is, in fact, in the lineup, as she sat out Indiana’s loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday due to a left groin strain.)

No, the real star of the Wings’ matchup with the Fever might be Li Yueru. The Wings have four wins. Three of them have come with Yueru, who has only worn a Wings jersey for four contests following her trade from the Storm.

The Wings’ new starting center looks like the missing piece whose arrival has helped the team begin to find the best version of itself. Is the transformation real, or a temporary illusion? Friday night’s contest against Indiana, whether or not Clark plays, will provide another data point. The same will be true for Saturday’s rookie-centric showdown, when the Washington Mystics visit Dallas.

Thus far, Yueru’s tenure in Dallas has coincided with a softer spot in the Wings’ schedule. Nonetheless, the numbers with Yueru on the court are still astonishing. She is a difference maker. And the big difference has come on the defensive end. In four games with Yueru, Dallas has a 95.1 defensive rating, which ranks second in the W over that time frame. For the season, the Wings’ defensive rating is 105.7.

That’s unsustainable, with the impressive sample benefitting from a game when Atlanta shot 23.4 percent from the field, the worst shooting percentage—by five percentage points—from a WNBA team this season. However, Yueru’s surprising mobility at 6-foot-7 gives the team the kind of defensive anchor that they’ve otherwise lacked, a source of stability for a team that had seemed to be sinking with no foundation.

No, Yueru’s addition has not kickstarted a Wings playoff push. More losses will be added to their ledger, possibly as soon as Friday and Saturday. But once wayward, the Wings with Yueru are at least moving in a positive direction.

Will the shooting gods smile on Minnesota or Atlanta?

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As noted above, the Dream experienced an absolutely putrid shooting performance against the Wings on Tuesday, netting a nearly-negligible 23.4 percent of their shot attempts. For a team with an offensive strategy that prioritizes taking on high volume of shots, especially a high volume of 3s, an off shooting night will result in an almost-guaranteed loss. Atlanta’s South Carolina shooters, who had been on fire, especially struggled. Allisha Gray was 3-for-16 from the field, while Te-Hina Paopao, who entered the game with the W’s best 3-point shooting percentage, went empty on all five of her field goal attempts.

The Lynx didn’t fare much better in their most recent matchup, as Zack Ward chronicled. Despite strong showing from Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, Minnesota lost in DC on Tuesday, doomed by poor shooting from Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams. For the season, the Lynx are the second-best shooting team in the W, both overall and from 3. If Napheesa Collier returns to the lineup, things should revert to normal for Minnesota. Still on track for a 50-40-90 season, Collier is questionable with the back injury that kept her out in Washington.

Have the Sky found something?

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As Zachary Draves detailed, the Sky scored their best win of the season on Tuesday, coming back from a double-digit deficit to win comfortably over the visiting Sparks.

Can they carry that momentum into Ballhalla, where they will face a Valkyries side that nearly sent the New York Liberty to a third-straight loss?

The ill-timed absence of Kamilla Cardoso could sink the Sky. Fresh off a career-high 27-point performance, Cardoso is competing with Brazilian National Team at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. That likely means that, on top of everything already expected of her, more will be asked of Angel Reese. Her performance in the win over the Sparks, however, shows she’s ready for it, as she tallied stats reflective of her combination of dominance, with 17 rebounds, and versatility, with six assists and four steals.

Is DB on her way to PHX?

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Per Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile, DeWanna Bonner, waived by the Fever on Wednesday, intends to sign with the Mercury as a free agent, as teams have been urged not to claim her off waivers. According to Costabile, only the Mystics and Valkyries have the salary cap space required to potentially claim Bonner and her $200,000 salary.

Costabile further adds, “Sources have indicated that the Mercury signing Bonner is not set in stone, given the potential it has to disrupt a strong dynamic developing among Phoenix’s core.” That “strong dynamic” delivered the Liberty, who will visit the Valley on Friday night, a home loss last Thursday, making it understandable that the franchise would pause before bringing in Bonner.

However, it’s hard see Bonner not ending up on Phoenix’s roster. Not only does she have a history with the organization—where she won two titles, captured three Sixth Player of the Year awards and made an All-Star and All-Defense team across 10 season—but her fiancé Alyssa Thomas is one of the team’s stars.

Bonner’s track record also suggests there are on-court reasons for the Mercury to make the move. During their shared seasons with the Sun, Bonner and Thomas were a dynamic duo, with Thomas finding Bonner for open looks behind the arc—the exact kind of shots that head coach Nate Tibbets prioritizes. Bonner’s length and sneaky strength also equip her to operate in a Phoenix defensive system that trends towards versatility over size.

Why has Erica Wheeler been so good?

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The Erica Wheeler renaissance is one of the best stories in the W.

Since her 2019 All-Star MVP-winning season, Wheeler has bounced around the league on mostly bad teams. In Seattle, she’s not just in a winning situation, but she’s a reason the Storm are winning.

After beginning the season coming off the bench, she’s earned a starting spot, completing a starting group alongside Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor that is outscoring opponents by 57 points on the season. Well practiced at being adaptable due to the different roles she has had to assume during her career, Wheeler knows when she needs to score aggressively or dial it back and focus on distribution, all while bringing incessant energy and elite vibes. Career-best shooting numbers also are enhancing her impact, highlighted by her career-high 43.4 percent from downtown.

Friday night should be an opportunity for Wheeler and the Storm to re-enter the win column after Tuesday’s loss to Indiana. They host a Sun squad that is on a seven-game slide.