By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Dallas Wings didn’t pull off any fancy antics or unorthodox picks.
On April 15, 2025, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise didn’t think twice after selecting the No. 1 player in this year’s rookie draft ceremony, University of Connecticut (UConn) superstar Paige Bueckers.
Fresh off an NCAA championship title to cap off her illustrious collegiate career, Bueckers will be embarking on a new chapter and will seek to turn around the Dallas franchise once the WNBA season kicks off later this year.
Dallas is coming off a disappointing WNBA 2024 season run after only managing to win a total of nine games out of their 40 regular season games.
With the addition of Bueckers, the Dallas organization is hoping that the all-around superstar can help revamp the squad, just like what former no. 1 pick Caitlin Clark did to the Indiana Fever.
Clark’s arrival in Indiana reversed their fortunes last season. From a sub-par team that barely made the playoffs, her impact in both offense and playmaking turned the Fever into a championship-contending team.
In her four seasons playing for UConn, Bueckers averaged an impressive stat line of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.
Bueckers was considered by most WNBA scouts as one of the most complete players to enter the league as a rookie. In the NCAA stage, the two-way stalwart showed that she could score when UConn needed her, and can orchestrate the offense with her great court vision.
Of course, her 2.1 steals per game tally is also a testament to how good she is on the defensive end, helping UConn shut down the opposing team’s passing lanes en route to their magnificent 2025 NCAA championship campaign.
Perhaps her most memorable performance during that run was dropping 40 points against Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 stage.
Bueckers looked invincible and shrugged off every defensive scheme Oklahoma deployed on her to wrap up the win with an efficient 6/8 shooting from the three-point line.
Before suiting up for Dallas as a rookie, Bueckers was already a decorated collegiate star and is a three-time unanimous first-team All-American, a former Naismith College Player of the Year in 2021, and a three-time Big East Player of the Year from 2021-2025.
Can Bueckers lift Dallas out of the mud and live up to the hype as this year’s WNBA no. 1 rookie draft pick?
