"Hateeeeeeeeeeeerssss": Wings' Satou Sabally swats at ESPN for Dallas' low Power Rankings

Satou Sabally has been out of action after undergoing surgery for her shoulder. However, the two-time WNBA All-Star has all eyes on what is happening in the league, especially for her Dallas Wings.

With three games into the season, Sabally has seen the Wings struggle early on, losing two games so far. Be that as it may, Sabally remained confident with her team, firing back from ESPN’s WNBA power rankings.

“Hateeeeeeeerssssss, just like last year lolol,” she said in reply to Women’s Hoops Network’s post on the power rankings.

The Wings are playing undermanned to start the season. Jaelyn Brown and Natasha Howard were on the injured list during the first week of the season, forcing the team to bring in a hardship contract player, Monique Billings.

With those injuries, the Wings lost to the Atlanta Dream in their previous game after splitting their two-game series with the Chicago Sky to open the season. In both losses, there was an evident struggle to deliver down the stretch, with their loss to the Sky being the most stinging, as the Wings turned the ball over 26 times and gave up 16 more offensive rebounds.

Sabally is certainly missed in the Wings’ rotation. She averaged a career-high 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season, putting her fifth in the MVP voting. She won the 2023 Most Improved Player award.

When will Satou Sabally return?

Sabally turned herself into a superstar last year after being drafted by Dallas in 2020. However, the Wings had to deal with Sabally’s injuries for most of her years with the team.

In her first season, she fought against a nagging back injury and a concussion. Then, she suffered an Achilles pain in her sophomore year before going off in 2023.

This time, Sabally will only return in August, after the Paris Olympics break.

Her injury stemmed from a February FIBA Olympic Qualifiers game while playing for her national team, Germany. There are no specifics on the procedure she underwent.

Without Sabally, Arike Ogunbowale has been carrying the offensive cudgels for Dallas, scoring 25, 35 and 24 points to lead the team in points in their first three games.