Caitlin Clark failed to suit up against Paige Bueckers for the second time this season. Her nagging groin injury continues to keep her out. The Indiana Fever guard showed Bueckers up when they faced off for the first time in the pro scene, taking home the win while scoring 14 points and 13 assists. Clark even got the ball off a slippery Bueckers 3 times as she finished the game with a career high 5 steals.
The two No.1 draft picks are primed to be the next big rivalry in the league. Clark had a record-breaking rookie season last year, winning the Rookie of the Year, unanimously. And Paige Bueckers is on her way to retrace her steps. She is averaging 18.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds, along with 1.8 steals, which is the best among the rookies this year. Many even believe that Bueckers is having a better rookie season than Clark herself. Once glance at the stats shows that they are not completely off the mark.
Paige Bueckers stormed into the American Airlines Center and single-handedly carried the Wings, notching her third straight 20+ point game with a stat line of 22 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, standing as the only Wing in double figures. With 12 games of 20 or more points in her first 23 WNBA outings, Bueckers is blowing past Caitlin Clark’s rookie mark of 8 in the same span. While Clark averaged 16.6 points and dished out an impressive 7.6 assists through her first 23 games, Bueckers has surged ahead in scoring at 18.5 points per game, showing she’s setting her own remarkable rookie pace, even as Clark holds the edge in playmaking.
Credits: Imago
Even with that impressive performance, it was a one-woman show for the Wings, and they faltered to the Caitlin Clark-less Fever, suffering an 88-78 loss. The Wings slipped to an 8-21 record after 29 games with Bueckers missing 6 games due to her knee issues and a concussion early in the season. CC was in a similar situation last year, as she also had just 9 wins under her belt in her first 23 games. So, not that far apart, eh?
The comparisons with Caitlin Clark started all the way back, during Bueckers’ UConn days. And they have just accentuated further after the Minnesota native joined the W. “I think Paige will be additive for us just like Caitlin was additive for Indiana.” Wings, CEO Gregg Bibb said in May. And so far, their paths in the league have been similar. Diana Taurasi, a WNBA icon, has already pegged Bueckers as a future “best player in the league,” but the bar is high: Caitlin Clark wrapped her own rookie campaign with 19 games of 20-plus points, averaging 19.2 points and 8.4 assists on a bigger stage and over more games than Bueckers so far. Clark found another gear as her season progressed, showing poise and growth, exactly the type of leap that many now expect Bueckers to make as her journey in the WNBA continues.
Although Paige Bueckers had put in a great shift every time she’s stepped on the court, the same cannot be said about the rest of her teammates. And HC Chris Kocklanes didn’t mince words when he demanded urgent action to address the Wings’ disappointing record.
Coach Koclanes Sends A Message After The Loss
The Dallas Wings have been falling ever since they started. The Wings management initiated a rebuild in the offseason, letting go of every member of their core bar Arike Ogunbowale. A bumpy road lay ahead, but even they couldn’t have imagined how bumpy it would get. After 29 games, they have won consecutive games only twice this season and are reeling at 11th place in the league. Even after some flashes of greatness, it has largely been disappointing. “We’re a very young team,” Bueckers said after their Fever loss. “This is a new experience for a lot of us, playing together and growing together.”
The Wings are a pretty inexperienced side, and their one veteran in Ogunbowale, has blown hot and cold. They are the second youngest team in the league, only behind the Washington Mystics, and the rookies have grown in prominence in the last few weeks. DiJonai Carrington has dropped to the bench, and JJ Quinnerly has stepped in. Aziaha James has had an increased role, showing that Bueckers is not the only talented rookie in this squad.
However, that talent also comes with inexperience, and they are yet to find a way to get consistent results. Coach Koclanes laid the facts out without making any excuses. “You have to win games,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said. “We understand that. We have to sit in this, and it’s not going to feel good.”
With the playoffs almost out of reach, the Wings have a unique window to start shaping their long-term future. Maddy Siegrist, who was showing steady improvement before her injury, stands to gain valuable reps down the stretch and could emerge as a key piece moving forward. Meanwhile, recent reports suggest the front office may be ready to move on from veterans like Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington, signaling a new direction centered around Paige Bueckers. As they regroup for next season, Dallas seems poised to retool the roster and build a more cohesive core with Bueckers and other young stars at the heart of it
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