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Hope. It’s a word often attached to sports.
Hope permeates training camp. Every player has a chance to impress and every team is 0-0. Hope can be found in a free agency signing, where each acquisition could be the missing piece that alters your fortunes. Hope can be found in the draft, when you sell out all logic to the belief that your GM is going to find the franchise-changing player that finally elevates the team to glory.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, hope is found in the form of Paige Bueckers.
It’s more than a little ironic that Bueckers, as sure a thing as the WNBA has had since Caitlin Clark a year ago, landed in Dallas just months after Satou Sabally—who carried so much promise as the no. 2 pick back in 2020 and flashed it during 2023’s First-Team All-WNBA campaign—asked to be dealt away. Pair that with the shocking trade on the men’s side, which saw Mavericks’ star Luka Dončić dealt out west back in February in a move that left the Dallas basketball community reeling (and from which it still hasn’t recovered). So, you can understand why fans across the Metroplex are channeling so much hope in Bueckers; she represents so much of what they lost.
With those lofty dreams of success come nerves, because you’ve seen it all fall apart before. That’s the energy that awaits Bueckers at her introductory press conference last Wednesday, where she was greeted by more than a thousand fans at Dallas City Hall, with the crowd digitally deepened by media filling out a Zoom lobby.
“I would say the weather’s probably hotter than me,” Bueckers said in response to a reporter who asked about her popularity in North Texas right now. “It’s different than in Connecticut and Minnesota.”
One similarity from her stops in Connecticut and Minnesota are the expectations that will be placed on Bueckers’ capable shoulders. Just as she carried Hopkins High School to a state title and guided UConn to a National Championship, she will be asked to return the Wings to contender status.
But don’t expect the weight of expectation to burden her.
“I’m not sure that there was more pressure on a player to have to win a National Championship to define her legacy more than what Paige had to be feeling,” Wings general manager Curt Miller said on draft night. “To watch her navigate the pressure that she had to feel this year was truly special.”
Bueckers is truly a special player; a versatile guard that can play on and off the ball.The biggest knock on her game is that she can be too unselfish on the offensive end. She will have time to grow into a more ball-dominant role with the Wings, pairing with one of the league’s leading scorers in Arike Ogunbowale. The duo has the potential to be one of the W’s most potent backcourts, and Bueckers is looking forward to that collaboration.
“She’s electric. Can score at all three levels. Obviously a bucket-getter,” Bueckers said of Ogunbowale. “Looking to assist her a lot. Space the floor, get her open looks, play off each other.”
The hope is that Bueckers and Ogunbowale can mesh quickly alongside free agent additions DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith to form a talented core that can return the franchise to the postseason after a nine-win campaign a year ago.
Rumors of Bueckers’ hesitancy to join Dallas may have been overstated, but however she might have felt then, she’s saying all the right things now.
“There’s a lot of new in this organization, so to be a part of something and build with each other and just create a new sisterhood, I’m really excited,” Bueckers said. She’s been quick to comment on her enthusiasm for her new home, living situation, and teammates. And of course the food, especially Texas BBQ.
She’s also looking forward to joining what she has called “a great sports city,” and one that her favorite player, Kyrie Irving, also calls home.
“He’s been my favorite player for forever now, so super excited to be in the same city as him,” Bueckers said of the Mavericks point guard. “Hope I can learn a lot from him. I know he’s going through an ACL journey himself, so to be able to lean on and support each other through that I think is something that can be motivating.”
For her part, Bueckers seems to be adjusting well to the pro level. She looked at ease in her first practice, joking around with Carrington and forming an easy chemistry with Ogunbowale. She seemed happy, and said as much in the post game scrum, commenting that it was “relaxing” to be back playing basketball after a three-week world tour that saw her make appearances on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, and sit for an in-depth interview with Time Magazine.
“It’s very relaxing, very calming. I’ve been on the road a lot, so it’s good to finally be settled in and start this new chapter.”
For the book of Paige, this new chapter has a chance to be the best story yet.
