Arike Ogunbowale has been ruled out of the Dallas Wings' matchup with the Minnesota Lynx on Monday night due to a sore Achilles tendon, the team announced. Ogunbowale will be listed as day-to-day, and her status for their next game on Thursday against the Chicago Sky remains unclear.
It's too early to tell if this will turn into an extended absence for the three-time All-Star, but there is always concern when the Achilles is involved. Regardless, any missed time for Ogunbowale is a massive blow to a Wings team that is already without Satou Sabally (shoulder) and Natasha Howard (foot), and has lost seven games in a row.
Ogunbowale, who did not make Team USA's Olympic squad and later said she removed herself from the process, has been doing it all for the shorthanded Wings. She's averaging 24.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.9 steals, all of which are career-high marks. Among all players she is second in scoring, eighth in assists and first in steals. Even with this injury, she is all but certain to be named an All-Star for the fourth season in a row.
Despite Ogunbowale's best efforts, the shorthanded Wings have been unable to build on last season's success due to Sabally and Howard's absences. Those two combined for 35.1 points, 16.1 rebounds, seven assists and 3.1 steals per game last season. So long as Ogunbowale joins them on the sideline, the Wings will be missing their top-three scorers from last season and 57.2 points per game of offense.
It's extremely difficult to win without that many key players, which is why the Wings are sitting in 11th place at 3-9. They are only half a game out of the eighth and final playoff spot, but if Ogunbowale ends up missing any sort of extended time, they may be best off packing it in and preparing for next season. That, though, is to be determined.
One key subplot regarding the Wings' injuries is that they have swap rights with the Chicago Sky's first-round pick for the 2025 draft via the Marina Mabrey trade. Everyone expected that deal would allow the Wings to gain an extra lottery selection in a loaded draft class, but they're actually behind the Sky in the standings through the first month of the season. As it stands, they are not on track to exercise those swap rights, which would be a major win for the rebuilding Sky.
