If anyone had doubts about Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings rookie has had an explosive 44-point performance to erase them all. The young guard conducted the team’s offense beautifully–curling off screens for open middies, making the extra pass, and cutting along with her teammates for easy layups. But even despite Bueckers’ record-breaking night, the Wings couldn’t hold on to the lead, losing because of a fifteen-foot floater by Kelsey Plum at the buzzer.

And honestly, the box score is an interesting sight to look at. Aside from Bueckers, only Maddy Siegrist managed to reach double-figures, which doesn’t bode well for Chris Koclanes and the Dallas Wings. Running your entire offense through one person isn’t sustainable: Strategies start to develop, and defenses start to adapt.

So, even though Paige Bueckers’ performance was the highlight of the night, it raised some interesting questions about her team’s offensive capabilities. Tim Fudd, the father of UConn star and PB’s girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, had a wonderfully nuanced take on this situation. “Sparks/Wings….here’s the most obvious take…Wings need to find some offense other than PB5. Very hard to take her off the floor. Paige’s middy is automatic and from every crazy angle! IMO, the Sparks have nice pieces. Should be more consistent at this point in the season,” he tweeted.

Paige Bueckers adds a lot more to the Wings than just scoring. Standing at six feet tall, the UConn alum spent most of her collegiate career creating plays and passing the rock to her teammates. Needing the team’s best facilitator to score in isolation is never a good look. But that’s been the case for Dallas. Arike Ogunbowale has been in and out, only three of them are averaging double digits, and their defensive weapon was traded, requiring more out of Bueckers.

However, on certain days, Fudd’s not complaining about it. He added,“If I’m coaching….we are gonna have a conversation in this timeout. Paige has to touch it EVERY possession. Let her set the table and feed you, or sit back and watch her work.” His point is simple–even though the Wings need another scorer, when the game goes down to the wire, let PB5 do her thing!

With this spectacular performance, Bueckers is practically a lock for the Rookie of the Year award! Even though her team is officially out of the playoff race, Paige Bueckers’ rookie season was definitely a saving grace for them. Let’s find out what the Dallas Wings HC thinks about his player’s ROTY chances, and overall impact this year.

“We’re lucky to have her,”: Dallas Wings HC showers praise on Paige Bueckers after sensational rookie performance

Let’s get one thing clear: Forty-four points is no joke, not even for the MVP of the league. It’s the highest ever single game score for a rookie in WNBA history, and to do it with 81% efficiency? Practically unheard of. So even though Sonia Citron is putting up an amazing fight for the ROTY award, the consensus is that PB has it cleared.

After Bueckers’ scintillating rookie showcase, the Dallas Wings HC Chris Koclanes had nothing but praise for his star player. “Pre-game Mary Murphy asked me why she’s Rookie of the Year,” Koclanes said. “I don’t think I need to answer that after tonight. She takes what the defense gives her, plays at her own pace, and doesn’t get sped up.”

Koclanes brought up how even though PB is the star player, she always makes the right play. “Even on the last play, when people thought she should shoot, she trusted her teammate and made the right play. That’s who she is. We’re lucky to have her.” Bueckers, over the course of her rookie season, is averaging about 19 points and 5 assists per game.

Paige Bueckers’ entire collegiate career, as legendary as it was, focused on making her teammates better. Her rookie year has been more of the same, but as Tim Fudd pointed out, she has shouldered more of the offensive burden this season. It will be interesting to see how the Dallas front office adapts their roster around Bueckers next year. She has proven that she can compete with the best, now it’s up to Curt Miller and his team to help her win.