Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Second-year star Paige Bueckers is leading the Wings to a faster start than anyone expected this season.
- Her efficiency has jumped while playing off the ball, but lineup chemistry remains a major question.
- The next move could reshape the team's offensive identity and determine how high this season can go.
The Dallas Wings are officially Paige Bueckers' team. Sure, this year's No. 1 overall pick, Azzi Fudd, is on the roster, and the franchise's all-time leading scorer, Arike Ogunbowale, is still going Arike things (a compliment so far, so that could change).
Let's check in on how Bueckers has looked over the season's first five games for a Wings team that's been significantly improved over where it was at in 2025.
Grading the start of Paige Bueckers' season
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is off to a strong start to her second season, with her scoring going up despite seeing less overall volume thanks to a rise in efficiency.
PPG | FG% | 3P% | |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 19.2 | 47.7 | 33.1 |
2026 | 20.8 | 57.6 | 57.9 |
One thing that's helped her efficiency is moving Bueckers off the ball more. The Wings signed Odyssey Sims this offseason and have used her as the starting point guard with Bueckers at the two and Ogunbowale at the three. That lineup isn't working super well — the team has a minus-17.5 net rating when all three play. It's a complicated issue, and it's why Bueckers earns an A- instead of something higher. The Wings have to figure out what position works best for Bueckers and the team, and right now it looks like playing her at the two is best for her, but it's not clear if it's best for the team, especially if the Wings need to move Fudd into the starting lineup at some point.
Beyond this, though, Bueckers has been outstanding. She's 12th in the WNBA in wRAPM, includng a top-25 ranking in defensive wRAPM. Bueckers has been able to expend more energy on defense since she's not fully running the show offensively, and while that isn't reflected yet in her steal and block numbers, the effort on that end is paying off.
Bueckers is also just shooting the ball out of her mind. Her 57.9 percent mark from deep is going to come down because, like, come on, no one is shooting that well over the full season, but the early returns still suggest she should shoot the ball better this year than she did as a rookie, That should help the Wings succeed, and the numbers show it already is.
Season | Net Rating (Bueckers ON) |
|---|---|
2025 | minus-4.6 |
2026 | plus-6.4 |
Context matters there — the Wings have a better roster around Bueckers this season — but still, it's a positive sign going forward for this basketball team that it's winning the minutes Bueckers is out there, even if it's losing the minutes when she's out there with the other two guards from the starting lineup.
What's next? I think the Wings probably have to move Bueckers back to the point soon to get Fudd on the floor more. Long-term, the position thing will remain an issue, as the Wings' roster construction means that if Ogunbowale remains on the team going forward — and she's currently under contract through 2027 — then Bueckers almost has to be the primary ballhandler. We'll see if she can maintain her efficiency if she shifts back to that role on a more full-time basis at some point this season.
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