The Dallas Wings won the draft lottery and began counting down the days until they could copy and paste Christyn Williams’ iconic line: “We have Paige Bueckers and they don’t.” Since then, it’s been a full-on Bueckers bonanza—they hype up their star pick every chance they get (even if it lands them in hot waters at times). Yet, no one’s dared to say what Williams did. And fair enough—Bueckers has only played two regular season games so far—small technicality. But maybe it’s because the front office is secretly fighting over who gets the honor. Curt Miller? Pagliocca? Koclanes? Or maybe, her “very smart” teammate will steal the chance. One thing’s clear, though: Paige is here to stay, and soon enough, someone’s going to drop that line—and claim their place in WNBA meme history.

So, yes, the Dallas Wings fell in their first two games. But if you look at the second one, you can tell who has the guts and the heart to keep their key to the championship secure. It took her just one game to improve immensely and shut the doubters. Her 19 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds weren’t enough to snatch a victory. But, at least Koclanes, who’s been playing Sudoku with the lineups, might finally know where to slot her in. Another thing that shone brightly? How she backed up her statements. 

“I want to be a leader, even though it is my rookie season,” Bueckers told reporters on May 11. “And continue to use my voice and find the best ways to do it, while not overstepping. I just want to gain everyone’s respect to the point where they respect my voice.”

Well, it took her, what, just like ten days to establish that on the court. Against the Storm, Paige reminded everyone why she’s the ultimate team player. She’s not out here stat-padding or launching logo threes just for the highlight reel. From day one of training camp, she made it clear: this is a we team, not a me team. With the perfect amount of EQ and a pass-first mentality that still manages to rack up points, Paige is already setting herself apart, not just as a baller, but as the kind of teammate who makes you believe the Wings might just get it together… eventually. Don’t they seem like qualities of a leader to you? If not, then worry not, Bueckers is not done yet. 

She recently said in a press conference, “So I think live ball turnovers and then just hunting shots, more hunting the paint, more to create open opportunities for myself and my teammates um and then just continuing to find my voice as a leader on the team.”

And she will. Just ask Geno Auriemma, who once remarked on Paige Bueckers’ extraordinary influence on the court, saying, “If you have Paige on the floor, everybody gets better immediately.” Or you can even ask Wings and Co. But one voice that stands out amongst those of Carrington, Ogunbowale, or even Koclanes is that of her new unexpected partner on the court.

Maddy Siergiest had earlier called playing with Bueckers “exciting,” saying, “She found me on cuts, on open threes. It’s exciting to play with a point guard like that.” And that’s what we saw glimpses of against the Storm. The only reason the Wings’ offense got better after halftime was connected to these Big East rivals. Bueckers and Siegrist kept diving for loose balls, limiting their opponents’ second-chance points, and kept sprinting back in transition. And both were just overflowing with praise for each other after the game.

While Bueckers said, “Yeah, Mattie is extremely easy to play with. She is very smart. and I felt like a lot of our two-man action worked really well. she can shoot from all three levels and so she’s always a threat on the floor,” Maddy pulled out her own Uno reverse card.

“We’re just continuing to grow on the court,” Siegrist said. “We were familiar with each other in college, playing against each other in the Big East. It’s a lot better playing with each other. We both came from systems that ran a five-out, so it’s cool to be able to play together. That two-man game was working tonight, and we’ll keep building on that.”

Two once-rivals saying “it’s better to play with each other”? Oh, how we love women’s basketball!

Honestly, Maddy’s college’s student-run online newspaper saw this coming in April, only. “Maddy Siegrist x Paige Bueckers: The WNBA’s Next Big Duo,” they wrote, calling them the “two best players to come out of the Big East since Breanna Stewart”. And that is true. The duo together dominated the Big East POTY for five seasons. 2022 and 2023 were Siegrist’s years, while Bueckers won the title in 2021, 2024, and 2025.

On that note, who can deny that the Wings are on the path to greatness, and probably as soon as the new-look team starts gelling together even better?

The Wings are still building chemistry

Although Bueckers made noticeable strides in her last game with a stronger performance, it still wasn’t enough to secure a win. Arike Ogunbowale struggled—and that’s one player the Wings simply can’t afford to have off her game. The team went through a significant roster overhaul this offseason, parting ways with key offensive contributors like Satou Sabally and Natasha Cloud.

Currently, only three players on the Wings’ roster—Arike Ogunbowale, Maddy Siegrist, and Teaira McCowan—were with the team last season. They also have a new head coach in Chris Koclanes. Add to that three rookies—Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly—who are entirely new to the WNBA. While they are individually talented, the team as a whole has yet to find its rhythm.

In their last game against the Seattle Storm, they conceded 19 points off turnovers. If they had managed to cut that down to even 10, a win might have been within reach.

Many of those mistakes came from erratic passing during critical moments in the fourth quarter. On top of that, Koclanes is in his first season as a head coach. He’s still learning the finer points of the role—from managing rotations to strategizing against far more seasoned coaches. That learning curve is natural, but it adds another layer to the Wings’ early-season struggles.

Paige will be central in piecing everything together. As the team’s primary facilitator, she’s tasked with adapting to her teammates’ playing styles and ensuring everyone stays involved—something that plays directly to her strengths. As mentioned before, she consistently works to elevate those around her and keep them engaged. Her ability to do that could help accelerate the team’s development and, hopefully, start translating into wins.