Paige Bueckers’ Day Goes From Bad to Worse After Dallas Teammate’s Unfortunate WNBA Record

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Back in 2019, the Dallas Wings used their fifth overall pick to snag Arike Ogunbowale, and ever since, she’s been riding the WNBA rollercoaster like a champ. From dodging elbows in the paint to watching vets like Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally peace out of the locker room, Arike’s basically been the team’s emotional support superstar. After all, it has been almost a decade since the team last touched the skies. Ever since they packed their bags in Tulsa and set up shop in Dallas, wins have come rarely, and just enough to spark some false hope. In fact, they’ve managed to rise above .500 just once, and that lone 2023 playoff run? More flicker than flame.

Last season, the team stalled at nine wins, a number that doesn’t exactly scream postseason. And with that fizzle, Latricia Trammell’s coaching stint also came to a quiet close. So, let’s not forget Arike has been a part of this rebuild mode for quite a long time now. This year, too, GM Curt Miller decided to toss the script and start fresh with a new coach, new rookies, and a No. 1 overall pick in Paige Bueckers. But things haven’t really clicked at 6-16, especially for Arike, who has been hot and cold. This season, she did have 37 points against Chicago, but she has also had 6 single-digit games. For comparison, just consider that she had a single single-digit game in 2024.

Part of the reason some think is because of Bueckers, with whom Arike was supposed to form W’s one of the deadliest backcourts. However, their efficiency together hasn’t clicked. And since Bueckers takes off some offensive pressure off her, Ogunbowale doesn’t have the ball or the green light as much as before. So, it could be the first time in these six years that she herself has to transition and rebuild majorly. And it did seem like she was finding her groove. In the past four games before the Indiana one, she was averaging almost 19 points while shooting a nice 40% from the field. However, she suffered a thumb injury right in the midst of such moments and had to be benched, adding to Dallas’ growing injury woes.

The matchup against Indiana was her first after missing three games, and in her absence, rookie Paige Bueckers channeled her inner team captain, guiding the fresh-faced squad with help from JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James. But while it worked once against the Mercury, the rookie-heavy starting lineup couldn’t churn out another win. So when the Wings announced her return just in time for their clash with the Indiana Fever, fans exhaled like someone had finally unclogged the offense. But alas, relief turned to roasting when certain posts hit social media with the receipts – Arike’s return was something to forget. She scored just 2 points in 28 minutes on 0-10 FGA, a stat line that made an embarrassing history. As a post by @HunterCruse reads, “Arike Ogunbowale is the first WNBA player in a decade to shoot 0-10 FGA or worse with a -20 plus-minus,”

Arike Ogunbowale is the first WNBA player in a decade to shoot 0-10 FGA or worse with a -20 plus-minus.

Dominique Canty, 1999
Slobodanka Tuvic, 2003
Plenette Pierson, 2015
Jewell Loyd, 2015
Arike Ogunbowale, Today

— Hunter Cruse (@HunterCruse14) July 13, 2025

Now, Arike Ogunbowale’s shot selection can sometimes feel like a game of darts in the dark. But despite the occasional chaos, she’s reliably found the bottom of the net often enough to earn her star status. Enter new head coach Chris Koclanes, and suddenly, that magic touch has gone a little missing (Now, more than a little, probably). In his offense, Arike’s usual spark has never gotten that good shake. At points, Koclanes’ comments on her struggles have even suggested that the team does not know how to utilize her. And that’s far from a good sign.

But maybe, for this game, we can cut Arike some slack. After all, she was playing with heavy tape on her shooting dominant hand. As she told DallasHoopsJournal, “I had a tear in my thumb, so definitely just taping it up and trying to get a feel for it..But it’s the first game back, so obviously not what I wanted, but I’ll be better next game.

Still and all, Paige is doing good, and once Arike’s and the rookie’s efficiency starts dancing together, maybe things will look good for Dallas.

Caitlin Clark praised Paige Bueckers’ rookie run ahead of the tipoff

July 13, 2025, marked a historic showdown between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings. But more than that, it marked the first time that the fans watched Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers battle it out in the pros. But before the two athletes stepped on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena, the Indiana Fever superstar had a special message surrounding the Dallas Wings’ rookie, Paige Bueckers. “I feel like she has played in the same manner that she has since when we were on the [Team USA] u-16 team together, u-19 team together,” Caitlin Clark said. “Whether it’s me watching her in AAU, she has always just been smooth.”

From competing on the same national squads to battling it out under different colleges, Clark and Bueckers have essentially grown up competing side by side. And this statement from Clark symbolises a deeper understanding that the two former college athletes shared. Belonging to the same class, Bueckers’ ACL tear halted her pro journey by a year. Appreciative of Bueckers’ career run so far, Clark continues to support the star for her high basketball IQ, maturity, and versatility.

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