Chris Koclanes Admits Truth on Paige Bueckers’ Wings Future Amid Challenging Season

Despite facing a rough start to the season, Bueckers was quite clear about the expectations she carried after a two-decade-long championship drought. “There’s no skipping steps to building what we want to build here… This is part of the journey… We are gonna stick together through it,” she shared. Coming off a national title campaign for UConn, PB has known to lead offensively and in keeping the spirits up. If anyone doubted the kind of impact that approach has had, the Wings HC is here to give it a label.

Bueckers has been one of the Wings’ few steadying forces throughout the 31 games she’s played before taking on the Atlanta Dream today. When HC was asked about her impact in a pregame press conference, he didn’t hold back.

“Paige’s poise… She’s getting, you know, you’ve seen all these clips, you’ve seen all these press conferences where it’s just throw five bodies at Paige. You know, you got to make somebody else beat you,” he shared.“And for her to still be able to handle that and to still be able to put up numbers, but not just that, but get her teammates involved and play the right way and continue to make us a better team on and off the floor. So much credit to Paige and how she’s navigated this season.”

Averaging 19 points with 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, Paige’s got a serious impact on the Wings’ locker room. She’s got production climbing to 20.3 points with 5 assists and 3.7 rebounds over her last ten outings.

That run also includes a 44-point performance during a one-point loss to the Sparks on August 20th. But in the two following games after that, opponents responded with aggressive coverages designed to limit her. She scored 11 points on August 22 versus Seattle and nine points versus Golden State on August 24th. However, Bueckers isn’t looking at the setbacks.

The rookie stresses turning those coverages into opportunities for the rest of the team. “Just be aggressive. I feel like teams are playing me a little bit more, which leaves my teammates more open—more driving lanes for them, more open opportunities to shoot,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com early on. “Especially off the double teams, we can play to those advantages and create opportunities that way.”

But can they? The Wings have been in a worst-case scenario with seven players added to the injured list. Even PB was going to be the eighth, as she was questionable to play against the Dream today. But after missing Wednesday’s game despite participating in shootaround and pregame workouts, she decided to play through.

“Just congestion-wise, being able to breathe. I actually planned on playing against Connecticut, but I ended up taking an IV right before the game and my body kind of rejected it,” Bueckers added. “That happened right before, so it was a late scratch. But honestly, I’m ready to go. As long as I can breathe and get up and down the floor, you’ll hear no excuses from me.” And she did today. Despite being the bottommost team and out of playoff contention, she prioritized playing with her teammates on the court.

So it makes perfect sense when HC shared, “Yeah, just both of those pieces have been instrumental behind the scenes in our locker room in keeping this group together and establishing a strong culture and a really strong foundation. So we’re excited about the future,” he said at the pregame press conference while talking about both PB and Maddy. While PB’s impact is something everyone’s aware of, Maddy’s presence has been just as valuable.

She’s scored in double digits in nine of her last ten games, averaging 16.3 points with four rebounds and an assist per game. But it isn’t just about these recent games. Even when she returned to the lineup after missing 18 games with a knee injury, Siegrist scored 13 points for the Wings’ 85-76 loss against the New York Liberty.

“It’s been a long process building up to the moment. I want to try to help my team,” Siegrist said back then. “I wanted to come out with a win tonight, but to get the first one under your belt is great.” That was her even on a minutes restriction. Since then, she’s even tied her career high of 22 points in an 81-80 win over the Fever. Then she followed with a new career high of 23 points in a loss to the Aces.

So yes, as HC shared, both players are instrumental behind the scenes and on the court for the Wings’ locker room presence. But PB… she’s not limited to helping her teammates on the court!

Paige Bueckers as a rookie leader…

Despite being a rookie, Paige Bueckers is slowly shaping up to be a strong voice in the Wings’ locker room. She’s not just performing, but also supporting her teammates every time they need her. That’s exactly what she did when Grace Berger had 2 points with 0 assists, 0 steals, and a rebound despite playing 16:40 minutes against the Fever. “Yeah, she’s just getting more comfortable and confident in the offense and getting us organized,” PB shared back then, applauding her.

You get it—she was boosting her teammates’ confidence even when the squad knew their playoff hopes were crushed. But Berger isn’t the only one. Even Siegrist, after the Aces game, was disappointed, as she shared: “It’s hard to reflect on when you’re losing. Doesn’t feel that good when you’re losing. But just trying to do everything I can to help my teammates,” in a postgame press conference.

Even then, it was PB who stood up in support while giving a glimpse of Maddy’s impact as a player for the Wings. “Just her getting to her spots, her posting up smaller defenders, shooting over the top, and just being an opportunity basketball player… getting out in transition, getting easy layups that way. She’s just a workhorse,” PB shared in the same press conference. So yes, this is the kind of support PB gives her teammates as the squad sails through adversities.