It has been one cautious season for Paige Bueckers. Managing load, sitting out during back-to-back schedules– the chronic injury from high school has constantly been on the back of her mind. “In a sense, you’re managing it at all times. There’s no day where it probably doesn’t hurt,” she expressed earlier this year. Add to that the Wings still floating around the bottom of the table, and you will see fans concerned and frustrated from a mile away.
The most recent game that Paige Bueckers missed out of caution was against the Aces. “Assuming I would either have to play a lot of minutes or be managed, we thought it was the smart thing to do to rest and recover,” she had admitted. The team had gone on to lose 106-80. But just as fans were taking that in, the crowd in American Airlines Center had to hold its breath again. This time because Bueckers was limping off the court against the Indiana Fever after flicking her knee to Aliyah Boston.
The pain was visible as tears became evident. And for a moment, it seemed to be the final straw to their season. However, the former UConn standout walked out of the dressing room as fast as she walked in and was back on the court, trying to salvage a comeback.
In the process, Bueckers notched her third straight 20+ point performance, pouring in 15 of her team’s 42 first-half points as the Wings trailed by just three at the break. But that did not prove enough. The Fever put up a show to take a fourth-straight win at 88-78. While 4 of their 5 starters finished in double digits, the Wings’ rookie seemed to be the only one leading her side.
She finished with 22 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, where she slightly cooled off following that injury scare. Arike Ogunbowale, on the other hand, had one of those nights, going 1-6 from the field and getting only 8 points. She didn’t even check in the fourth quarter, rounding out a disappointing performance from the Wings, bar their rookie phenom.
This has been the story of the season for them so far, and the fans are at their limit.
“No Help” for Paige Bueckers Draws Fan Frustration
Even before the Dallas Wings tipped off this season, they held very few cards to play. Their No.1 draft pick was one of their most important draws and their hopes banked on the Paige-Arike backcourt duo. However, that hasn’t turned out the way it was expected to, becoming a one-woman game in Dallas, and leading to fan outrage.
One of them shared a LeBron James poster that read “No help,” and related it to Bueckers. The Lakers legend had no one averaging more than 11.1 points, and the rookie’s case has been not much different with Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington being the only other player averaging in double digits — 16 and 10, respectively.
paige bueckers tonight: pic.twitter.com/goa2xZeBft
— Laney ☽｡⋆ (@PaigeyReeses) August 2, 2025
“Just an incredibly unserious basketball team when paige isn’t on the court but hell i’d rather watch this for the rest of the game than have her come back in,” wrote a fan. To add context, this was when Paige had limped out of the game with her injury scare, and it seemed pretty serious at first glance. While she did come back and play through that, the Wings risked further injury to Bueckers.
The team looked to be huffing and puffing without any serious impact as they struggled to breach through the Fever defense. No other player on the team had points in the double digits, failing to provide their star rookie some adequate support.
Another fan echoed a similar sentiment, writing, “I’m so fcking serious this game is NOT worth putting Paige back in.” The Wings are 8-21 after this loss, even if they had eked out a win somehow, a 9-20 record is looking at the playoffs with a telescope. Moreover, the game hardly seemed to be in their hands when the Fever had managed a 13-point lead in 3rd quarter. So you get the fan sentiment on having her back on the court then.
However, as Chris Koclanes and the Dallas management have made clear frequently, Bueckers’ long-term health is a priority. So the injury may not have been as bad. The contact was minimal, but the reaction from the young guard is what gave the feeling that it might be a serious one. Perhaps the frustration of another loss surfaced.
Even Dallas reporter Joey Mistretta pointed out some need for variety in the Wings offense writing, “Wings need to find a way to balance the scoring attack. Paige Bueckers has 18 and MHA has 9, but nobody else has more than 6 points. Fever are beginning to really place the focus on Paige as no one else has been especially consistent from a scoring standpoint tonight.” Fans matched the sentiment with no filter.
“Paige deserves better,” another wrote. Unfortunately, Bueckers wasn’t the only injury scare for the Wings. Hines-Allen looked in pain after being stepped on her foot. Given she was recently sidelined with a right lower leg injury, it did not look good. It would only limit the Wings further.
The franchise-altering talents such as Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, and Candace Parker were drafted by teams who were bottom of the barrel at the time. They shouldered the weight of transforming those franchises. Some successfully did, while some had to move away to find success, but these kinds of games were expected for Bueckers. But things will hopefully shift next season.
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