The Dallas Wings had perhaps the most exciting offseason in the entire WNBA, as they completely revitalized their roster in free agency. They put a bow on things by selecting UConn guard Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.
Bueckers has been coveted at every level she has played at, and her preseason debut with the Wings was highly anticipated. Despite the lopsided loss to the Las Vegas Aces, she had a solid showing, but it was nowhere near what most expected from her.
In fact, Bueckers was not even the most impressive rookie for Dallas. She was outplayed by guard JJ Quinerly, a third-round pick from West Virginia.
JJ Quinerly was the Wings' most impressive rookie in first game
Despite playing 10 fewer minutes than Bueckers, Quinerly scored 16 points to Bueckers' 10. Bueckers also had just one assist and no steals, whereas Quinerly contributed three assists and a steal.
While this was just one preseason game, and the pressure and attention were higher on Bueckers, it was interesting to see it play out. Bueckers had a plus-minus of -23, whereas Quinerly was +9.
The sky is not falling by any means, as Bueckers will be one of the centerpieces for the Wings this season. More to the point is that Quinerly is severely underrated and could be a major contributor for Dallas in 2025.
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Quinerly was one of the best scorers in the country for West Virginia in college, earning back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Year Honors. She also landed on the conference's All-Defensive team three times in four years, which proves her prowess as a two-way threat.
It may take some time for Quinerly to become any kind of star or starter in the WNBA, but she can fill a role as a spot scorer for the Wings as a rookie. Her playing style is similar to veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale, who she could stand to learn a ton from in her young career.
Bueckers will almost certainly be the most impressive rookie for the Wings this season, and perhaps in the entire league. But in the preseason opener, that honor belonged to JJ Quinerly.