After Caitlin Clark’s brilliance, is the WNBA ready to shape another icon as the face of the league? It will be too early to commit, but the promise remains high. “The game is slow for her,” Dallas Wings coach Chris Koclanes said about their recruit Paige Bueckers after their first preseason game against the Las Vegas Aces. The way Bueckers plays, it certainly feels like she has a second more than her counterparts. Even with her extraordinary skills, Paige had a tough debut for her franchise, as she was thrown right into the ring of fire against one of the best in the league. The Wings were thumped by the Aces, upsetting Bueckers’ expectations of a dream start.
The reason for the pressure? Well, Bueckers is expected to match Caitlin Clark in terms of her popularity, as she has gained her fandom from her college ball days as well. Taking the next step to the WNBA, she will face tougher challenges against players who would be better prepared for her style of play. There will certainly be some buffer time for Bueckers to match the likes of Clark on and off the court. This monumental shift from college basketball to the WNBA was pointed out by ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike.
She said, “To me, the difference is going to be the pace. The pace is different. At UConn, she controlled it. It was built around her, that system. But in the league, it’s a whole different beast, and also the physicality. She is very much the finesse guard and getting used to those screens or just attacking the paint.”
The step up from college to the WNBA about physicality is huge due to obvious reasons. These are vastly experienced players at the peak of their physical growth. Some players may be on the older side, but they still have higher game IQ because of their experience. They know how to use their limited strength in the best way possible. With Bueckers stealing the limelight, players will be immediately onto her. She got a taste of it in the opening game itself as Kelsey Plum rammed into her chest during a play.
Despite that, she had a decent debut, playing 23 minutes and finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Monica McNutt further explained another area that could prove to be difficult to cope with in the WNBA for Bueckers.
Monica said, “Paige just did a similar to what Caitlin do last year, right? She just won a national championship. She is running right into a high-powered WNBA season. I am curious about her stamina. This is going to be a challenge as all of those things change.”
Credit: Imagn Images
It’s a bigger deal than it initially seems like, as Bueckers will now play a game every other day as opposed to every three or four days in college; that extra couple of days makes a lot of difference to performance. Caitlin had a seamless transition last year, but it might not be the case for Bueckers. The ex-UConn star played 32 minutes per game over her four years, and if we are to compare her with Caitlin, she played 35.4 minutes per game in the WNBA, so expect Bueckers to play around the same minutes at a lot more intensity. One thing that works in Bueckers’ favor is that she does have better teammates who will help her up her game, too.
It will be a surprise if Bueckers matches the impact Caitlin Clark has had on this league, contributing $36 million to the economic growth of Indianapolis. The Indiana star was responsible for 26.5% of the WNBA’s league-wide activity for the 2024 campaign, including attendance, merchandise sales, and television. One of every six tickets sold at a WNBA arena can also be attributed to Clark. One player pulling the whole league is something we have never seen, but the addition of Bueckers gives new hope to the league and enthusiasts. Before that, Bueckers has a lot to overcome. Good thing? She has the goods to back it up. So, will she snatch the chain from Clark to become the most popular player in the league?
Paige Bueckers weighs in on Caitlin Clark comparisons
Since the league has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, there are more eyes than ever before on the incoming freshman. The way last year’s freshmen Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dominated it further increased expectations of the likes of Bueckers and Co. The weight is even more on the ex-UConn star as she is coming off an all-time season with the Huskies, winning the National Championship while averaging 20 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists last season.
Now she herself has been asked directly regarding the comparisons with Caitlin Clark. “That’s what the media cares about,” Bueckers told Time’s Sean Gregory. “That’s what everybody who watches basketball cares about. I used to be bothered by it. But I’ve done so much work on myself and my approach. The ability to not run a race in comparison to run my own race and worry about that. Caitlin’s a phenomenal player. We’re also completely different players.”
Focusing too much on comparisons might just destroy a player. Just see what happened to Bojan after the Lionel Messi comparisons. Just a hint of talent and flair, and the fans are quick to pit them against one of the greats. Bueckers is determined to improve in her own lane and introduce her own brand of basketball. The fact that they are different kinds of players might just help her create her own identity within the league.
She later admitted that she understood that pitting her and Clark against each other “is good for the game. At the end of the day, I don’t think either of us really cares about it, because we’re just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.”
via Imago
Rivalries drum up interest: Messi vs. Ronaldo, Magic vs. Bird, and we had Reese vs Clark last season. They all elevated their respective sports to the next level. Football probably wouldn’t be where it is right now without the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry; the same goes for basketball. They are like the spices to your food; they further increase your interest in it. The Bueckers vs Clark is more of a comparison than a rivalry because they are so good. Both were the top dogs in college and are now in the WNBA.
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