DiJonai Carrington: A Force of Grit and Grace Driving the Wings Toward Success
A perfect blend of toughness and finesse that will redefine Dallas’ path to victory
The acquisition of DiJonai Carrington has gone under the radar and it has potential to be one to remember as the Dallas Wings, who finished 9-31 last season, look to redefine their identity and culture in the WNBA. Carrington reunites with Executive Vice President & General Manager Curt Miller, who drafted and coached her during his time in Connecticut. There’s another reunion in Dallas with former Baylor teammate NaLyssa Smith and head coach Chris Koclanes, who also worked with her in Connecticut, who has the tools to unlock her two-way potential in his new system.
Carrington arrives in Dallas after a career season with the Connecticut Sun, winning the 2024 Most Improved Player and named First-Team All-Defense. The 27-year-old averaged a career-high points (12.7), rebounds (5.0), steals (1.6), assists (1.6) and minutes (29.6) per game. Carrington started all 39 games for the Sun in her first season as a starter, helping the team reach the semifinals. The 5’11 guard-forward will pick up the opposing team’s best offensive player full-court while driving to the bucket on the other end. Carrington showed improvement as a two-way player, when known as a defender.
Carrington is entering her prime and change the Wings defensive identity and bring toughness that’s been missing in Dallas, bringing the passion and trash talk along the way. Miller believes Carrington will only get better as a two-way player in the league after arriving in Dallas. Suiting up next to the 2025 No.1 overall pick Paige Bueckers and All-WNBA guard Arike Ogunbowale will allow Carrington to grow at her own pace where she doesn’t have to force herself into a lead role.
Playing alongside Ogunbowale and Bueckers will help Carrington by creating more space and opportunities for her to thrive with open looks. One area for improvement for Carrington is the three-point percentage. Last season, Carrington averaged more three-point attempts while shooting a lower percentage (25.0%) than the previous season. With Ogunbowale’s scoring ability and Bueckers’ decision making and efficiency, defenses will be locked heavily on them, allowing Carrington to have easier looks and get back to an output similar to the prior season at 37.1% beyond the arc.
The ability to defend elite perimeter players is a luxury the Wings didn’t have last season. Dallas ranked last in defensive rating and their opponents had the highest field goals percentage against them. Carrington helped the Sun achieve the league’s best defense in 2024. She has precise footwork by staying in front of her opponent while having elite anticipation skills in reading plays and jumping passing lanes. She enjoys making scorers uncomfortable and have bad nights.
Rebounding is another area where Carrington thrives, as she averaged 5.0 rebounds a game last season. That ranked among the top rebounding guards in the league, showcasing her tenacity and positioning skills.
Carrington will bring positional versatility, defense, rebounding, and scoring when the opportunity is there — but more importantly, toughness. A no-backing-down mentality when the lights are on and that drive will sway a few games in the victory column for the Wings this season. Dallas has been a team with a lot of offense in the past but not enough defense and toughness to catapult the organization into the level of contenders. That starts to change with this offseason acquisition of Carrington.