The Fall of NaLyssa Smith: A WNBA Cautionary Tale in Contrast to Sophie Cunningham’s Rise

In the ever-shifting dynamics of the WNBA, few stories have unraveled as dramatically—and as instructively—as that of NaLyssa Smith. Once heralded as a rising star, Smith now finds herself not just benched, but effectively exposed, her shortcomings laid bare in the harsh spotlight of a league no longer willing to coddle underperformers. Her departure from the Indiana Fever and subsequent landing in Dallas was supposed to be a reset. Instead, it has served as a living case study of how quickly potential can curdle into disappointment—and how team-first mentality always triumphs over selfish preservation.

Statistically, the numbers speak volumes. Smith’s rookie year in 2022 was promising: 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. But by 2024, her efficiency had cratered. Her field goal percentage dropped from 49.3% to 41.2%, and her defensive win shares were slashed in half. And it wasn’t just what the numbers said—it was what the fans, analysts, and teammates started to notice. NaLyssa Smith wasn’t protecting Caitlin Clark. She wasn’t communicating. She wasn’t even sprinting to screens. She was drifting.

The Fever faithful had seen enough. While Caitlin Clark was transforming Indiana into the epicenter of women’s basketball, selling out arenas and reviving a franchise, Smith seemed allergic to the spotlight—and allergic to accountability. Her exit from Indiana was welcomed not with sadness, but relief.

Her arrival in Dallas, meanwhile, only magnified the issues. A move reportedly motivated by her desire to be closer to her girlfriend and rival player D.J. Carrington, Smith’s priorities seemed more personal than professional. Internal sources hinted at something darker: that Smith had allegedly leaked Indiana’s playbook to opposing teams, including Carrington. If true, that isn’t just disloyalty—it’s sabotage.

This wasn’t a player who failed to develop. This was a player who actively undercut the cohesion, trust, and integrity necessary for a team to win. And it showed. While Indiana surged under new leadership and renewed chemistry, Dallas inherited Smith’s baggage—and predictably, began to unravel.

While Smith sulked, Sophie Cunningham soared.

Cunningham’s arrival in Indiana couldn’t have been better timed. She was exactly what the Fever needed: aggressive, defensive-minded, and fiercely loyal. Cunningham didn’t just play next to Clark—she protected her. She set hard screens. She rotated on defense. She got in the face of opponents when Clark got knocked down. She got ejected defending Clark’s honor. And that, in today’s WNBA, is what being a teammate means.

Where Smith played passive, Cunningham plays with purpose. Where Smith preserved her body, Cunningham throws hers into chaos. Where Smith floated, Cunningham fights. The contrast couldn’t be more glaring.

Smith’s defenders often argue that she was misused in Indiana or that the system never fit her game. But when a player refuses to adapt, refuses to lead, and even possibly undermines her own team, the problem is no longer the system—it’s the mindset.

Dallas Wings fans, much like Fever fans before them, are already noticing. Smith has not cracked the starting five. She’s barely making an impact off the bench. And while other players dive for loose balls and rally their teams, Smith stands still, content to watch the game unfold without inserting herself into the action. She’s become a net negative—giving up more points than she scores, disengaging from crucial moments, and shrinking in the very spotlight she once craved.

In contrast, Cunningham has become emblematic of everything the Fever now represent. Grit. Tenacity. Loyalty. While not a box-score superstar, she brings the kind of intangibles that matter: communication, leadership, and trust. She’s the glue, and she holds this evolving Indiana team together.

And it’s not just fans who notice—Caitlin Clark does too. Cunningham’s defensive presence, her physicality, and her relentless effort have created the kind of on-court safety net that allows a generational talent like Clark to play free. Smith never offered that. At best, she offered indifference. At worst, outright betrayal.

What’s perhaps most damning in Smith’s WNBA story so far is the unmistakable sense that she views basketball as a platform for personal fulfillment rather than a team pursuit. From her questionable effort to her reported off-court loyalty issues, everything about her trajectory screams of misplaced priorities. In contrast, Sophie Cunningham has leaned entirely into the team-first mantra. Her intensity isn’t just for show—it’s a promise to every teammate that she has their back, no matter what.

It’s hard not to see Smith’s career now as a warning to young players entering the league with big names and bigger egos. Talent might get you drafted. But heart, hustle, and humility are what keep you on the floor. Smith has the skills—her Baylor resume proves it. But in the WNBA, character and commitment matter just as much as athleticism. And on that front, she’s been lacking.

It’s easy to imagine a world where Smith rebounded, recommitted, and redefined herself in Dallas. But so far, she’s doubled down on the same disengaged energy that got her run out of Indiana. Meanwhile, the Fever have turned the page. With Cunningham, with new veterans, and with Clark at the helm, they’re becoming the team Smith never helped them become.

This isn’t about piling on NaLyssa Smith—it’s about highlighting the kind of player that championship teams are built around. Sophie Cunningham is far from perfect, but her effort, her attitude, and her accountability are beyond reproach. She represents the future of the Fever—and the kind of player every franchise should covet.

NaLyssa Smith, meanwhile, may be running out of time to prove she belongs in the league at all.

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