People don’t expect much of the Dallas Wings for this 2025 WNBA season. As harsh as that might be, it is the truth. Despite acquiring what could be a generational talent in Paige Bueckers, the team as a whole has more problems than it can solve. It was also a matter of concern whether Bueckers would be at the same level in the WNBA as she was in college ball after her underwhelming debut.
That question was answered by the ex-UConn star herself, as in just her second game, she scored 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go along with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals against the Seattle Storm. Even though the Storm proved too good for them in the end with a scoreline of 79-71 in the end, there were signs of encouragement with this Bueckers performance.
She herself explained her situation and feelings on the court perfectly. The guard doesn’t want to put a toe in the water to test it to suit her, but dive headfirst and fight tooth and nail for results. The Dallas star was asked by a reporter whether she felt more at home on a WNBA court at her second game.
Bueckers said in a media conference, “I mean, I guess, I mean comfort is not really the thing that I’m looking for, like I talk about, um, almost every day. We’re just trying to find a level as a team of competitive spirit and I think that’s growing from game to game.”
For a rookie, the first challenge is to not be overwhelmed by the occasion and the league. There is a reason she was chosen for that position and is starting. So, remembering that she needs to do the same thing that she has been doing for years is the first step and even on that debut Paige never looked flustered or even under pressure. The level up is the thing she is contending with.
And in her second game, we saw the UConn Paige in a Dallas shirt as she weaved through the defense and pulled up with her signature shots. It is a good sign that she is not looking for any excuses and wants to compete right from day 1 despite the challenges that lie ahead for them. That’s how we know she has that in her to become the player others think she could be.
She further explained what they are lacking right now. “I think we carry it for quarters and then we have lapses throughout the game that let teams go on runs and get leads and then we’re playing catch-up and we’ve done a good job fighting back in those situations but we’ve got to figure out how to minimize those mental lapses and really play an entire 40 minutes,” she said.
Pretty much spot on with that analysis. Against the Storm, they were competitive right till the second quarter when they pulled away to take an 11-point lead. Even their late rally wasn’t enough to catch up. In their first game, the Wings and the Lynx were neck and neck till the final minutes of the third quarter, when Minnesota put the accelerator on and the Wings just gave in without any resistance.
The Wings need to find that thing that makes them tick with their rotations so they can keep up the pressure for the entire game. Chris Koclanes has to come up with something, or this will continue throughout the season. Speaking about the Lynx game, they are set to face them once again and Bueckers will be back home.
She said regarding the upcoming matchup,“Yeah, I mean it’ll be fun to play in my hometown, but regardless of anything the location and the opponent are focused on us right now, and so any given team or arena focuses on us.”
The people are certainly curious about how the Wings will play with a talent like Bueckers among them, but the 0-2 record certainly does not impress them so far. But even Caitlin Clark with the Indiana Fever had a disappointing start, only winning one game in the first nine. So Bueckers still has time to get her house to really show the world what she can do. She is still fresh in the league, and everyone is looking at her with expectations.
Just into her second game, Bueckers adds herself to the history books
It has not been long since Paige Bueckers won the national title with her insane individual statistics along with a bundle of awards, but everything was out the window after her debut. One game where she slightly slipped up and shot 3-for-10 from the field for her 10 points, and people were already on her in a flash.
Doubts were creeping in on whether she could make that step up. She quashed those doubts with ease as she dropped a dime of a performance against the Seattle Storm and also broke a record in the process. She was making those risky passes, taking the shots she would in college, all in all looking more assured on the court. Paige Bueckers delivered a historic performance for the Wings, finishing with 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block.
She became the first rookie in franchise history to post such a stat line, marking a milestone moment in her young career. Adding to the significance, Bueckers is now the second-fastest player in WNBA history to record at least 15 points and five assists in a game, trailing only the legendary Candace Parker. Caitlin Clark needed a game more when she scored 22 points and 8 assists against the New York Liberty last year.
Paige Bueckers vs Seattle:
19 PTS
5 REB
8 AST
2 STL
The first rookie in franchise history with those numbers in a single game. pic.twitter.com/D8B8ec8HZz
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 20, 2025
The graph seems to be going up for Bueckers in a small sample size of two games but the improvement shows promise. She is a player who can improve the whole team along with her so we can expect the others to make some strides in their game as well. Even if there are slim chances at a playoff berth, they have the opportunity to make some major strides in their rebuilding, which has started just this year. They will once again face the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday but with the learnings from the first game, we can expect them to do better.
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