Paige Bueckers Is Everything the Wings Hoped For originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
DALLAS – No. 1 overall pick and Dallas Wings standout rookie guard Paige Bueckers has not only lived up to the hype, she’s exceeded it.
The former UConn superstar has taken the WNBA by storm in her rookie season, earning a starting spot in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. In doing so, she becomes the first rookie in Wings history to be named an All-Star starter.
Bueckers is tasked with shouldering a heavy load for a Wings team clearly in rebuild mode. The Wings currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 6–14 record.
“Credit to Paige,” Wings head coach Chris Koclanes said. “Her mindset and her intention into the mental side of the game, she’s resilient. She’s not discouraged at all. She’s in there, she’s positive. She knows there is a larger vision here and that you’ve got to go through some of this tough stuff early to ultimately get to where you want to go.”
Although the Wings are struggling, Bueckers appears well on her way to winning Rookie of the Year, averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game—leading all WNBA rookies.
“Just staying disciplined in your habits and not changing who you are based on the results, but sticking to your process and how you do things,” Bueckers said. “Regardless of the winning and losing, just enjoy coming to work every single day. It’s been fun to enjoy the process.
“You never want to get used to losing, but you also don’t want to be used to being result-oriented.”
If her rookie season is any indication, Bueckers is not just the future of the Wings—she’s quickly becoming one of the brightest stars in the WNBA.
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Related: Paige Bueckers Makes History as Rookie All-Star Starter for Wings
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.