Jessica Shepard is in sixth place in the first wave of WNBA All-Star voting this week, a jump that matches the way her season has changed for the Dallas Wings. She started every game for the first time in her career and is producing career-best numbers across the board.
Her line is hard to miss: 31.7 minutes per game, 13.7 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game. She is also shooting 58.7% from the field while taking a career-high 9.5 field-goal attempts per game, and her 2.8 win shares are the third-best in the league, per Her Hoop Stats.
Jessica Shepard and Dallas Wings
Shepard has spent most of her career in a supporting role, but this season has pushed her into a much larger one. She said, “I knew going into free agency that wherever I was going to go, that I was probably going to play a lot more.”
She added, “So it hasn’t really been an adjustment for me, because I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life, I’ve played a lot overseas… Coach lets me be who I am as a basketball player here.” That freedom has shown up in her usage. She leads the WNBA in defensive rebounds with 8.5 per game, ranks second in the WNBA in rebounding overall, and sits second on the Wings with 5.6 assists per game.
Jose Fernandez on Jessica Shepard
Jose Fernandez has leaned into that versatility. “She’s been huge,” he said before Dallas’ loss to Golden State this week.
Fernandez said, “I think the way that she fits into the way that we wanted to play, her being able to initiate things as a ball handler and as a rebounder and starting our transition, but also the way that she really just enjoys how she’s being utilized on the offensive end. Again, she’s a player that can handle and pass it and you can be really creative with her offensively because of her unique skill set.” She is on pace to become the first player in WNBA history to average at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists over a full season in at least 20 games.
Cecilia Zandalasini on Shepard
Cecilia Zandalasini, who played with Shepard in Italy this offseason, described the way she reads the floor from the inside out. “With her physicality, she can read the game very well, and for sure her body, she’s very hard to guard, for sure,” she said.
She also said, “She’s having a great season in Dallas, she’s helping them get a lot of wins, so for sure that’s one of our t.” That production has come with 3.82 assists for every turnover, the second-best mark in the WNBA, plus 61 field goals in the restricted zone, which ranks third in the WNBA. For a player who has spent most of her career filling a smaller role, the move to the center of the Wings’ offense has turned her into a rare all-around line, and the All-Star vote now reflects it.
