Chris Koclanes Faces Challenges in Establishing Leadership, Offensive Hierarchy, and Defensive Adjustments

Through the first quarter in his first season as head coach, Chris Koclanes has yet to find a formula for success with the Dallas Wings.

First-year head coaches in the WNBA often experience a learning curve as they adapt to the quick training camps, limited roster spots in case of injuries, short 44-game season to experiment and recover early mistakes. Every single game is magnified and you often see win-now moves over long-term development from organizations across the league. It’s common to see growing pains, especially in a league with only 13 teams, margins for error are thin and mistakes are amplified.

However, unlike some first-year coaches who steadily build momentum despite these setbacks, Chris Koclanes has struggled to gain any consistent traction with the Wings as his team sits with a 1-11 record. The team’s ongoing issues with undefined roles, lack of defensive adjustments, and unclear leadership suggest that Koclanes is still searching for answers within himself, with little progress to show so far.

Call for More Leadership

Koclanes is at a critical point in his coaching career at 1-11 in his first head coaching job where developing stronger leadership skills is essential for both his growth and team success long term. Effective leadership requires the ability to inspire confidence, establish clear expectations, and decisively guide the team through adversity. So far, Koclanes has struggled to assert that consistently, resulting in a lack of clarity on the court and diminished player trust during pivotal moments. To unlock the full potential of his talented roster, he must evolve into a more proactive and vocal leader who can unify the team, make tough calls under pressure, and foster a culture of accountability and resilience.

His style comes across as nonchalant on the sidelines opposed to a strong motivator who can get players to rise under the chaos within a game. While players are often looking at him for guidance during stretches of the game, Koclanes looks like he’s overthinking before providing response. He doesn’t talk to officials much or coach his players hard often in the motion of the game, waits til he sits down during a time out to address his team.

During press conferences, the responses from Koclanes lack confidence and he frequently looks for assurance as he glances at his players next to him when he answers questions. It brings attention to the players reactions while the coach talks, instead of the response itself. Trust is a huge element for success for players when the coach steps into the head coach role.

Another example during the game against the Aces, the ball went out of bounds and DiJonai Carrington wanted Koclanes to challenge the call as it was Aces ball. Koclanes was stalling by looking at his assistants and didn’t say anything. Carrington was determined that it was Wings ball and pleaded for Koclanes to challenge, he didn’t make the call and Aces inbounded the ball, got fouled and it led to a eventual comeback victory for Las Vegas. That was a moment he could have made the challenge call to show trust in his player as the team was leading and he had two challenges available.

“Had a challenge, I probably should have used one of them... I also had another timeout that you lose it anyway."

Executive Vice-President and General Manager Curt Miller doesn’t find himself wanting to coach and replace Koclanes in the head coach seat but he does want to help Koclanes, a coach who has been an assistant on Miller’s previous coaching staff for numerous years. Miller is often seen moving down to court side, from his usual seat in the crowd during home games, to call out refs names and voice his frustration with calls.

When Teaira McCowan walked off the court without staying for the team huddle after the first game of the season, Miller was the person who addressed the team in the next practice while emphasizing professionalism and to not do that again after Koclanes discussed highlights from practice.

Another example is the heated moments between the team and Phoenix Mercury as DiJonai Carrington and Satou Sabally exchanged words. Koclanes was not anywhere around to gather his team and get them to head to the locker room. Paige Bueckers and teammates were the peacekeepers while Miller came onto the court at the end and talked to DiJonai, they walked off the court together.

The team sits at the bottom of the standings so changes are needed in the gameplan, but if Koclanes showed more presence in leading the team, the team would be show promise amongst the defeats and pull out more wins.

“It starts with me. I’ll look in the mirror and I’ll be better for our team going forward.” Koclanes response to his self-assessment this season.

Need Offensive Hierarchy

There’s a lack of defined roles and offensive hierarchy. Koclanes has implemented an egalitarian system where multiple players are expected to initiate plays, which is usually for a roster without a primary playmaker. The team already has an elite creator in Bueckers but the system doesn’t fit to allow Bueckers to be the identity of the team. That is shared with Carrington, Arike Ogunbowale, Myisha Hines-Allen, Luisa Geiselsöder, Maddy Siegrist, NaLyssa Smith, etc. When a player steps on the court in this offense, they have a green light to create. That’s not a recipe for success when you have an elite talent in Bueckers.

Fresh off a 35-point game against Mercury, where Bueckers couldn’t miss, the next game against was back to the off-ball motion against the Aces. The opportunity missed to carry the momentum after a big game and allow Bueckers to keep her find her spots, shows stagnancy of the commitment to the free-flowing offense.

The offensive approach under Koclanes has created confusion at times on the court, with no clear hierarchy or structure in place. Players are forced to share ball-handling duties without a defined hierarchy, which disrupts rhythm and makes it difficult to anticipate where shots will come from. This lack of clarity has impacted the team’s overall flow and prevented individual talents from consistently playing to their strengths together.

These issues become even more apparent in late-game situations. The Wings are 0–6 in clutch scenarios, where games within five points in the final five minutes. This can be a result due to turnovers, miscommunication, and a system that leans too heavily on a free-flow offense without accountability.

Players like DiJonai Carrington and Myisha Hines-Allen are being used in unfamiliar roles, while star guard Arike Ogunbowale isn’t being fully optimized as she endures her worst start of a season in her career. Without clearly defined responsibilities, the team’s true potential remains untapped.

Defensive Adjustments Not Visible

One of the biggest concerns under Koclanes has been his lack of timely in-game adjustments, particularly in the second half with opposing teams make runs. Instead of using timeouts or making strategic changes to stop momentum with substitution or coaching his players hard, he often lets the lead slip away and calling the timeout when the lead has extended even more for the opponent.

His reluctance to shift his game-plan, such as switching to a zone or applying different pressure in traps, leaves the Wings looking disorganized and undisciplined.

If Koclanes turns this season around, it will be due to establishing clear roles for his players, creating a structured offensive hierarchy where players know who and where shots will be, and making timely in-game adjustments. That includes being more decisive during momentum swings, holding players accountable, and be their voice with officials.