"Point forward" Jessica Shepard is having a breakout season. Is she better than just Most Improved?

Playing more minutes than ever in her career, the Wings forward is perhaps one of the most dangerous players in the WNBA.

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When the first wave of WNBA All-Star voting was released this week, one name stood out. The usual stars were near the top, but sitting in sixth place sandwiched between Caitlin Clark (fifth) and Angel Reese (seventh) was a player who has spent most of her career in a supporting role.

Jessica Shepard is having a career year, helping lead the Dallas Wings to one of their best seasons in recent memory, and the league has taken notice.

“I knew going into free agency that wherever I was going to go, that I was probably going to play a lot more,” she said to Her Hoop Stats. “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.”

Shepard has emerged as one of the WNBA’s most prominent point forwards. She has started every game for the first time in her career, averaging a career-high 31.7 minutes per game, nine more than her previous average.

She’s scoring a career-best 13.7 points per game her first time scoring in double digits, while averaging a double-double with 11.5 rebounds just one of three players to do so this season. She also ranks second on the Wings with 5.6 assists per contest and is shooting 58.7% from the field (the 7th best in the WNBA) on a career-high 9.5 attempts per game.

Jun 15, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard (32) shoots a free throw against the Las Vegas Aces during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Shepard 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, a remarkable achievement for someone who spent much of her career as a role player.

“She’s been huge,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez said before Dallas’ loss to Golden State this week. “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.”

Shepard’s assists are 10th in the WNBA and she leads the league in defensive rebounds (8.5) and is second in rebounding overall (11.5). Her assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.82 is also second in the WNBA. Her 1.09 points per play are 21st in the league and her 2.8 win shares are the third-best in the league, per Her Hoop Stats.

Her scoring has come from everywhere inside the arc, too; her 61 field goals in the restricted zone are third in the WNBA and 14 from the non-restricted paint are 31st, while her nine mid-range shots are 19th among all players.

“With her physicality, she can read the game very well, and for sure her body, she’s very hard to guard, for sure,” said Valkyries forward Cecilia Zandalasini, who played with Shepard in Italy this offseason. “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 targets in defense.”

Shepard said her role as a point forward is one reason the Wings can play at such a fast pace.

“I’m a rim runner, so for me either way (getting a rebound and starting transition) it’s great,” she said. “But obviously when I get the ball, it makes it a little easier for some of our guards.”

The Wings are 9-6, good for a sixth-place tie in a crowded standings race. It’s the franchise’s best start since moving to Dallas in 2016 and already matches its win total from two seasons ago.

Paige Bueckers headlines the roster alongside fellow No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd and star guard Arike Ogunbowale, but Shepard has become the X-factor helping turn Dallas into a contender.

“She has a high, high motor,” said Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase. “She almost is very similar, a little bit, to how (Alyssa Thomas) is the engine of Phoenix. She’s really their point guard in so many ways when they pass it to her on the top and they play these split action games, so you have to be mindful that she can play point guard from the top.”

Shepard has long shown flashes of brilliance when healthy and entered the season expected to be a valuable role player, much as she was in Minnesota. Last year, she became the first player ever to record a triple-double while shooting 90%.

This season, she became only the second player in league history to post a 20-point, 20-rebound triple-double along with the aforementioned Alyssa Thomas. She is also the only player with a triple-double this year — and she has two. More than the milestones, though, her consistency has made her a legitimate All-Star starter candidate.

“It wasn’t a surprise for me, I had a former player play with her in Italy,” Fernandez said. “I think her European experience has translated to how she’s playing here, being able to distribute, DHO and zoom actions. It’s great to see her have the success that she’s having.”

Shepard ranked sixth in the first fan returns for WNBA All-Star voting despite never previously coming close to making an All-Star team. If the season ended today, she would be the leading candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player award — and, if she maintains this level, perhaps even more.

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