ARLINGTON, TX — First-year Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez knows how to send a message to his team.
Harshly at times, but fairly from his view, patrolling the sideline, and always backed by the indisputable evidence the game film shows him.
He had such a message for his Wings’ locker room following Thursday’s 90-86 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, who were playing without their WNBA MVP finalist Napheesa Collier (ankle), at College Park Center. The Wings’ pick-and-roll defense let them down on five different possessions in the final three minutes of the game as Minnesota caught them from behind.
“Guess what, you know what? The film’s not going to lie,” Fernandez said. “Coaches accuse, right? Even players accuse, but the film is going to convict — convict our effort, did we get over ball screens, did we rotate, did we cover backside block, what was our effort — they’ve got to look at themselves and hold each other accountable in the film room and in the locker room. When that happens, you’ll have a great locker room. And then things change.”
Make no mistake. The change is underway. The roster has been overhauled. Now it needs to coalesce into something greater than a bunch of upgraded parts after the team went a combined 19-65 in 2024 and 2025.
That cohesion won’t be achieved as long as the Wings let lulls on the offensive end affect their effort level on defense. And that’s exactly what happened against the Lynx, Fernandez said.
“It’s got to mean more,” Fernandez said. “It’s got to mean more, especially in those [late game] situations. Really good teams and championship teams — they don’t care who starts. They don’t care how many minutes they play. They don’t care if the ball’s not going in for them. They can do different things on the defensive end. When we start doing that, and we don’t get in our feelings — because body language never whispers. Championship teams, you play for the guy next to you. It doesn’t matter if the ball’s not going in — you can do different things. You can share it, you can defend, you can go get stuff off the glass. When that changes, then you don’t lose these type of games.”
Maddy Siegrist was lightning in a bottle off the bench in the first half against the Lynx. She scored all of her 17 points in 11 first-half minutes. She started the third quarter but played just five minutes in the second half after being part of a couple of defensive lapses on two Lynx 3-pointers that shifted the momentum of the game early in the frame.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – MAY 14: Anastasiia Olairi Kosu #7 of the Minnesota Lynx is defended by Maddy Siegrist #20 of the Dallas Wings during the first half at College Park Center on May 14, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Getty Images
When asked what role she views for herself this season, Siegrist said, “I don’t really know.”
“I’m just trying to make the most of the minutes I got,” she continued. “You don’t know how long you’re going to be in there.”
Her absence was indeed notable when the offense got stale for the Wings in the fourth quarter, but Fernandez said the issue lay on the defensive side of the ball.
“We came out of half time in pick-and-roll coverage and we gave up two 3’s, so that’s what happened there,” he said. “The issue wasn’t getting more baskets. We don’t have a problem scoring. The problem was on the defensive end. Did [Siegrist] have a great first half? Yes. That’s why she started in the second half, but we felt that we needed to go in a different direction defensively.”
Azzi Fudd’s minutes to start her rookie year have also been a big talking point, mainly from outside the locker room. She played 18 minutes off the bench in the season-opening win at the Indiana Fever before sitting out the game against the Atlanta Dream with a knee issue. Fudd played 20 minutes on Thursday and scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, while her counterpart for the Lynx, second overall pick Olivia Miles, scored 15 in 32 minutes on the floor.
“I thought [Fudd] had a good game for someone [who] hasn’t practiced the last couple days,” Fernandez said. “We’re easing her into being a bigger part and getting more minutes.”
But if there’s one thing Fernandez has already grown tired of talking about three games into the 2026 season, it’s minutes.
“If this thing’s going to change, it’s got to change first in everything we do. You’ve got to get through adversity if you’re not playing well yourself,” Fernandez said. “Minutes here, minutes there. I don’t know, whatever minutes [Awak Kuier] gets, or [Siegrist] gets, or [Alanna Smith] gets or Fudd gets, just defend. Make use of your minutes. Play the right way.
“It’s accountability. There’s selfishness in this locker room. There is. You’ve got to look in the mirror and be accountable on how you played, and don’t get upset if you think you should have played more or you didn’t think you got the shots that you should have gotten. Really good teams don’t give a shit about that. You know what they give a shit about? They give a shit about winning.”
We’ll find out in pretty short order how his players handle such a direct message fired across the bow. This kind of forceful delivery can send things in one of two directions. The Wings (1-2) are back on their home floor on Monday against the Washington Mystics (1-1).