The Dallas Wings won 10 games in the 2025 season and lost 34, which was the worst record in the league. Yet one player who was responsible for most of the wins and also provided competition to the opponents in the tough losses was Paige Bueckers.
The 2025 first overall pick was the team’s most influential and consistent player on the floor. While Bueckers won the Rookie of the Year award for her performance, the talented guard understands that individual success won’t guarantee her team’s success, as she recently discussed.
Paige Bueckers On Transition To WNBA
The Dallas Wings welcomed the UConn prodigy with open arms as the generational talent was their key to future success. The player also lived up to its hype and delivered 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds, an average performance. While doing so, she understood a more challenging transition to the WNBA.
“Yeah, it’s hard. I went from being the vet or the senior on the team to where everybody looked to me as the voice, as the leader. To where I’m coming into a new organization with a lot of new coaching staff, mostly new team, new GM. and I’m a rookie,” Bueckers said recently when reflecting on life as a pro.
"It means everything."
— NBA (@NBA) September 12, 2025
Paige Bueckers joins elite company after a historic rookie season…
⭐️ 692 PTS (3rd all-time among WNBA rookies)
⭐️ 194 AST (3rd all-time among WNBA rookies)
⭐️ 19.2 PPG (DAL rookie record)pic.twitter.com/0neimCo3RW
Playing under Geno Auriemma, the star was a key player and leader on the floor. While achieving part of that success in the WNBA with the Wings, she highlighted that ‘being adult’ is different.
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“I’m learning every single day what it looks like to show up to work every day. Be an adult. I had an eye appointment yesterday and a dentist appointment yesterday, and I went to them by myself without my parents. So, like it’s a learning process,” she said.
Even though the player spoke about having less voice in the Wings’ franchise as a rookie, the front office certainly doesn’t look at or treat her as a rookie. The player is an active participant in the free agency recruitment.
Paige Bueckers Calling Shots At Dallas Wings’ Recruiting
Very recently, the UConn HC Geno Auriemma called Paige Bueckers as Sue Bird’s successor, hinting at a starting point guard role for the USA national team. While fans issued brutal Paige Bueckers take following the veteran coach’s opinion, the record holder HC highlighted that PB is smart and mature for her age.
The wings side also seems to agree with his assessment and often considers her views for the new free agency recruitment. GM Curt Miller said, “Paige wants to be involved in recruiting players to Dallas. Arike also initiates free agency conversations with me. It’s exciting that your two best players consistently want to talk future.”
Not many rookie in the WNBA has that level of control or open discussions in recruitment, which highlights her impact. So even though the transition was hard for the UConn star, she did it with ease and is already a face of the franchise in her second year in the league.