Arike Ogunbowale Deserves Credit for Changing Her Game

Arike Ogunbowale deserves a tremendous amount of credit for what she has done in Dallas. Not because she suddenly became a great basketball player. She has always been that. The impressive part is that she has willingly changed the way she plays in order to give the Wings a better chance to win.

Ogunbowale could still average more than 20 points per game. She could take more shots, put up bigger numbers and remain in the MVP conversation. She could probably have made more money elsewhere too. But we've already seen the version of Arike who dominates the basketball and carries an enormous percentage of the offensive load. It was exciting and dynamic, but it didn't produce enough winning.

This version is different.

Ogunbowale is taking fewer shots, but she's taking better shots. She's operating within Jose Fernandez's offense instead of the offense revolving around her. She's making the extra pass and, perhaps most importantly, she's comfortable allowing Paige Bueckers to take control when the game calls for it.

That requires self-awareness from a veteran star.

Fernandez deserves credit for establishing the system. Bueckers deserves credit for understanding when to assert herself without disrupting the veterans around her. And Ogunbowale deserves enormous credit for recognizing that Bueckers' emergence doesn't diminish her importance. It actually gives her a better opportunity to win.

The transformation isn't complete. Dallas is still developing, and there will be bumps along the way. But the Wings are building something that looks sustainable because the buy-in doesn't stop with their stars. It extends throughout the roster.

Dallas has the talent to contend for championships for the next several years. Bueckers is obviously central to that future, but don't overlook Ogunbowale's role in making it possible.

Sometimes winning requires a star to do more.

In Arike Ogunbowale's case, winning required her to understand when to do less.