Paige Bueckers clapped her arms and threw her head again because the Golden State Valkyries took a timeout. Bueckers had simply transformed a pair of free throws to place the Dallas Wings up seven with 19.4 seconds remaining Tuesday. She was as much as 20 factors on the night time, however extra importantly to Bueckers, she might sense it: Dallas was inside attain of its first house win of the 2025 WNBA season and of breaking a seven-game shedding streak.
Between the Wings’ gradual begin and her four-game absence due to a concussion then sickness, Bueckers’ first month within the WNBA featured its share of ups and downs. However as she approaches her tenth profession sport, the rookie star has appeared more and more assured and cozy as a professional, positioning herself for her first All-Star bid and turning into the newest No. 1 draft choose to win rookie of the 12 months.
Bueckers was a extremely touted prospect out of UConn partially due to her capability to be a prepared passer and environment friendly three-level scorer. She’s nonetheless engaged on hanging the suitable steadiness between facilitating and calling her personal quantity, Bueckers advised ESPN this week, however she has nonetheless shined to this point in each classes.
Her 17.7 factors per sport are a group excessive, whereas her 5.7 assists per contest rank sixth within the league. Bueckers’ 282 factors scored or assisted on are the third most by way of a participant’s first 9 profession video games, trailing solely Sabrina Ionescu (302) and Caitlin Clark (289).
Bueckers admitted the tempo and physicality of the WNBA has been an adjustment. “You sort of know that it is completely different coming in, however you do not actually know the way a lot it’s till you truly reside it,” she mentioned. And but she’s nonetheless considered one of simply six gamers within the WNBA averaging a minimum of 17 factors and 5 assists, becoming a member of Ionescu, Clark, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Plum and Skylar Diggins. Bueckers’ 47.2% taking pictures is the most effective of the group.
Bueckers has continued to separate herself as a midrange sharpshooter: Her 6.8 factors per sport from that distance leads the league, in line with Genius IQ, with solely Courtney Williams additionally averaging greater than 4.0 factors from there. Bueckers, who’s hitting 50% of her midrange pictures, has made an affect defensively, too. She and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson are the one gamers within the league averaging 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per sport.
Bueckers has been tasked with conducting the Wings’ offense, a tricky task for a first-year participant on a group with a brand-new teaching workers and simply three returners from final 12 months. It additionally does not assist that Dallas is at the moment quick 4 gamers, with Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsoder competing in EuroBasket, Maddy Siegrist (knee) out indefinitely and Tyasha Harris present process season-ending knee surgical procedure earlier this month.
Bueckers continues to work with the teaching workers to raised perceive how groups are protecting her in ball screens and to be taught methods to counter the physicality that is allowed off the ball. However her capability to learn within the pick-and-roll, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon mentioned final week, is already at a “doctorate stage.”
“She’s acquired unimaginable poise and maturity. She appears like she’s been taking part in this sport for like, ever,” Hammon mentioned. “She performs the suitable method is what jumps out to me, each time. … If you play the suitable method, everyone can nonetheless eat. She will get 35 [points] and he or she’s nonetheless passing the ball like loopy. … She’s past her years.”
Six video games into the season, Bueckers suffered a concussion, which mixed with an sickness value her 4 video games. However she mentioned the break day the court docket helped her get her thoughts and physique proper, particularly on the heels of going from UConn’s NCAA championship run to coaching camp. Watching from the sideline additionally helped her determine a few of the self-inflicted wounds she thought had been getting within the Wings’ method of successful shut video games.
That each one helped Bueckers shine on June 11 in her first sport again. In opposition to the Phoenix Mercury, who boast the league’s fourth-best defensive score, Bueckers tallied a career-high 35 factors on 13-for-19 taking pictures. She is considered one of 5 gamers to attain 35 factors this season however achieved it extra effectively than anybody, along with her 68% taking pictures accuracy additionally essentially the most environment friendly 35-point sport by any rookie since Breanna Stewart in 2016.
“She simply controls the sport so nicely,” Mercury star Alyssa Thomas mentioned afterward. “The sky is the restrict for her.”
“We must always have carried out higher [guarding her] for certain,” fellow standout Satou Sabally mentioned, “however she’s elite.”
Nonetheless, the Wings did not get the win. And after Tuesday’s victory, they’re 2-11 (2-7 with Bueckers within the lineup). When Bueckers was on the court docket at UConn, the Huskies misplaced 13 instances.
Bueckers gained a fame at UConn for downplaying particular person accomplishments. That angle has carried over to Dallas, the place the “solely particular person objective I’ve is to make Dallas a free company vacation spot when it comes to the tradition we wish to construct.
“All people who performs right here this 12 months, I would like them to take pleasure in taking part in with me. I would like them to take pleasure in taking part in on this atmosphere, with this tradition,” she mentioned. “Simply to have the ability to set that basis is actually the one objective.”
That additionally entails, she mentioned, holding herself and others to a excessive normal because the group appears to construct a successful tradition: The Wings have only one successful season for the reason that franchise relocated from Tulsa heading into 2016.
PAIGE BUCKETS HAS RETURNED 👑
Bueckers hit a career-high upon her return from concussion protocol in Wings-Mercury. pic.twitter.com/FDODcgp6ik
— espnW (@espnW) June 12, 2025
Dallas’ imaginative and prescient on turning that round, even when it is a couple of years down the road, entails the ball being in Bueckers’ arms — quite a bit.
“Simply to proceed to steer on and off the ground and to handle the sport,” coach Chris Koclanes mentioned on what development he is in search of from Bueckers. “In order her and I proceed to develop with our relationship, her simply getting an increasing number of assured and cozy taking command on the market on the ground and getting the ball the place it must go. Getting us into the actions we have to get into, after which, as nicely, holding one another accountable to all these little issues.”
Bueckers mentioned she and UConn coach Geno Auriemma stay in “fixed communication” and that he encourages her “to maintain doing issues the suitable method and proceed to maintain main by voice and instance.” Except for teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Myisha Hines-Allen, who’ve helped her discover her voice, Bueckers has additionally leaned on Las Vegas Aces star Jewell Loyd for veteran knowledge, and intends to achieve out quickly to UConn and WNBA legends Sue Hen and Diana Taurasi.
Loyd, Hen and Taurasi are No. 1 picks, perennial All-Stars and Olympians. And all are WNBA champions — the trail Bueckers hopes to emulate.
“There’s lots of people which were in my footwear earlier than, and as a rookie, you sort of know, particularly in case you’re one of many high picks, that you will a group that was on the backside of the league earlier than,” Bueckers mentioned. “You are attempting to make it’s higher, and you are not going to do it by your self, however how will you finest make your imprint and depart your affect on that?”
