Paige Bueckers added one more line to her already impressive rookie resume against the Indiana Fever on Sunday afternoon. The No. 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft poured in a game-high 21 points on an efficient 9-of-15 from the field (2-of-4 from 3), while also chipping in four assists, four rebounds and two steals. She was already the easy betting favorite to take home WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, and that train hasn't lost any momentum.
Unfortunately, Bueckers was also a -20 for the game, as her Dallas Wings got blasted in the second quarter en route to a 102-83 loss. It was the team's third defeat in a row, and they now sit second-to-last in the WNBA standings at 6-16. At this point, despite the play of Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, any hope of a playoff spot appears to have already gone out the window.
But Bueckers, and Wings fans, shouldn't lose heart. It's immediately clear to anyone who watches her on the court that she's a star in the making, a complete two-way player who's growing into the playmaking chops necessary to lead a championship-caliber offense. And while a 6-16 record doesn't seem like much to write home about, it's worth noting that Dallas is only three wins away from tying their win total from all of last season.
The fact is that this is simply life as a top pick in the WNBA. Success doesn't come overnight, especially not as the league gets tougher and tougher, and it doesn't reflect poorly on Bueckers at all that she's unable to lift the Wings out of their morass right away. In fact, all she had to do was look across the court to her opponent on Sunday to realize just how difficult building a contender in this league can be.
Paige Bueckers is going through the same growing pains Caitlin Clark did as a rookie
Like Bueckers, Caitlin Clark was taken No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft. Like Bueckers, it was immediately obvious that she was one of the most skilled players in the league. And like Bueckers, it didn't matter all that much to the Fever, who finished at .500 for the regular season and were summarily bounced from the first round of the playoffs.
Would it have been nice for the Wings to have kept pace with Indiana on Sunday? Sure. But that's simply not where this team is in its competitive cycle, and nor should it be. This cupboard was pretty bare before Bueckers arrived, and it remains pretty bare now. Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha James and JJ Quinerly, all on rookie deals through 2028, have shown potential this season. But this roster has yet to cohere, and more pointedly, it's missing the sorts of role players who will dig in on the defensive end and do all the dirty work that Dallas is sorely lacking right now.
Bueckers can't do a ton about that, no matter how skilled she is. Just like Clark couldn't elevate the Fever to true contenders in year one, no matter how dynamic an offensive player she was. The Wings were facing year one with a new head coach and got hit hard by injury; the fact that they've shown any improvement at all is a minor miracle, and this season should really just be about finding out what to build on moving forward. It worked for Clark, as the Fever put the right talent around her (including a new head coach) to help elevate themselves. Dallas is taking steps in the right direction, with a new indoor practice facility opening in 2026. With another high pick likely coming in next year's draft, it might not be long before the results match Bueckers' game.