Awak Kuier May Force More ‘Benched’ Questions for Wings Coach Jose Fernandez
Jose Fernandez doesn’t like the word “benched.” He made it clear after the Wings’ 91-76 win over the New York Liberty that inserting Awak Kuier into the starting lineup for the second half had nothing to do with “benching” veteran Alanna Smith and was simply a matchup decision.
”I don’t look at it as anyone getting benched, right?” Fernandez said when asked about Smith’s limited minutes in the postgame media availability. “I don’t like to use that word. It’s just rotationally and matchup-wise, we just felt on the offensive and defenisve end, having her in the game would give us the best opportunity for success.”
Kuier played well in the statement win. The Liberty were short-handed without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich, but still had their big four of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Satou Sabally available.
Kuier was completely unfazed by the Liberty’s star-studded collection of big forwards. She recorded 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. She was +17 in a season-high 24 minutes on the court.
Kuier’s growth as a 3-point shooter is one of her most impressive developments. She only made nine 3-pointers in all of her first three seasons with the Wings. This year, she’s already 5-10. At 6’6” and with her athleticism, adding a serviceable 3-point shot makes Kuier a lethal asset to have for the Wings.
Smith, meanwhile, has struggled to start the season. She’s currently averaging 3.7 points on 33.3% shooting from the field, 3.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. Considering that Smith is signed to a max contract and was one of the Wings’ prized free agency additions, it’s difficult to imagine that Fernandez will replace her in the starting lineup long-term, but some compelling lineup data brings up uncomfortable questions about Smith’s fit with this team.
Early lineup data proves Awak Kuier’s positive impact
Seven games are a small sample size. But the numbers still speak volumes—and they don’t have a ton of good stuff to say about some of the Wings’ big free agency gets. The Wings’ most-used lineup, according to the WNBA’s stat page, so far is their initial starting lineup of Odyssey Sims, Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard, and Alanna Smith. That lineup is -31 over 56 total minutes.
That same group with Kuier in Smith’s place has only played seven minutes so far, but it is +2 in that time. When Fernandez replaces Sims with Azzi Fudd, like he did to start the second half against the Liberty, the lineup becomes very effective. Ogunbowale, Fudd, Bueckers, Shepard, and Kuier are +18 in 27 minutes so far.
It’s still early in the season, so Smith still has plenty of time to return to her 2024 and 2025 form, when she was an irreplaceable asset for a Minnesota Lynx team that was considered a championship contender in both seasons. However, if she continues to struggle and Kuier plays well going forward, Fernandez may have to make a tough decision about her role on the team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.