Alanna Smith and Aziaha James were both still working back from injuries Thursday, two days before the Dallas Wings open the regular season at the Indiana Fever. Jose Fernandez said both players were progressing, but he stopped short of putting a timeline on Smith’s return.
“I think they’re progressing well,” Fernandez said Thursday. “Aziaha back today looked good, and I think Alanna’s on schedule.”
Smith is recovering from a nasal fracture suffered Sunday in the preseason finale against the Las Vegas Aces, when A’ja Wilson caught her with an elbow at Moody Center. The blow left Smith bleeding from the mouth and ended her night after 12 minutes, even though she still finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a team-high plus-19 on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
James, meanwhile, sprained an ankle during Tuesday’s practice and sat out both Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to drills with teammates Thursday. She had been one of the standouts of camp and the preseason, scoring 18 points off the bench in the Wings’ 101-84 win over Las Vegas and averaging 17.5 points, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals in 24.0 minutes per game.
Fernandez said Smith was not part of the live portion of Thursday’s practice and instead did individual work on the side. He did not commit to a specific date for her to be cleared, though he said she would need to wear a protective mask once she is ready to return to game action.
The timing matters because Dallas has little room to slow down before tipoff. The Wings do not have to submit an injury report until Friday evening, when a formal designation for either player will be known. Fernandez said Friday will be treated almost like a shootaround because the game comes Saturday, an early start that leaves the club with less runway than usual to sort out its rotation.
Smith arrived this offseason on a three-year max contract and has been treated as the frontcourt anchor in camp, while James is entering her second year after a preseason in which she averaged 17.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 17.7 minutes. Fernandez said the staff will avoid rushing either player back too soon. “We’re not going to put anyone in a position where they’re not going to be successful individually, but also create any damage for them as a player and as a person,” he said. “That’s the most important thing. We’ve got a really good medical staff.”
For the Wings, the next step is straightforward: get through Friday without a setback, then decide whether Smith and James are ready to face Indiana.
