WNBA
Paige Bueckers set to follow Catlin Clark’s steps and shake up the WNBA
Dallas Wings appear to be in line for the first draft pick that, barring a monumental surprise, will be used to select Paige Bueckers.
If 2024 was the year when Caitlin Clark helped rocket the WNBA into a new stratosphere with global media coverage and record attendances, the league is anticipating that 2025 will be the year of Paige Bueckers.
The 23-year-old UConn guard is the expected number 1 in the next draft which will be staged in April (2025) with Dallas Wings set to have the #1 overall pick with Bueckers destined for the lone Star State.
The remaining picking order will see Los Angeles Sparks with second pick, then Chicago Sky (3), Washington Mystics (4) and Golden State Valkyries, the new franchise from the San Francisco Bay Area will have the 5th pick assigned.
Bueckers (6′11″) is a true combo guard who can really play on and off the ball. She may have the same electric buzz on court as we’ve seen with Clark, nor does she have his endless shooting range, but some experts already believe she could be just as good — or better — in the professional league.
She directs, creates, scores and has excellent defensive instincts and has also been afforded an extra year of college eligibility because she missed the 2022-23 season with a serious ACL injury that is now behind her.
Wings of joy
The Dallas Wings finished rock bottom last season with the second-worst record in the WNBA (9-31). This news of Bueckers joining the franchise is excellent news, for a team that will add a top player and will join a roster that already has a top scorer like Arike Ogunbowale (over 22 points and 4 assists on average last season) and a forward in the total player format like Satou Sabally (17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5 assists).
There will also be a new at the Texas based club with a new general manager in the shape of Curt Miller, who was coach until just a few weeks ago of the Los Angeles Sparks, the worst team last season (8-32) and the one with the best chance, before the lottery, of getting the 1 pick to select Bueckers.
The Sparks had a 44.2% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and couldn’t be out of the top three. The Wings took advantage of their 22.7% chance, but also had the advantage of trading their pick to the Sky for a previous trade. That effectively gave them more than a 45% chance of landing their pick (the one that won) and the Sky, who had no control over theirs, ultimately the No. 3 pick.
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