When the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Dallas Wings, Paige Bueckers, arrived at W, first-year head coach Chris Koclanes already knew her. Coincidentally, the last game he had with the Trojans was their victory over UConn at the XL Center on Dec. 21. So when Paige arrived at W, he shared, “We’ll see her get more and more comfortable,” during a May 20 interview with CT Insider. And with only eight games left for the postseason, he couldn’t be more accurate.

That’s because the potential Rookie of the Year candidate, in a game versus the LA Sparks, went on to explode with 44 points. That was enough to surpass Candace Parker’s rookie scoring record of 40 points set back in 2008. Not just that, she also became the first rookie to give a 40-point performance in Dallas franchise history, and the first player in W’s history to score 40 or more while shooting at least 80% from the field, with a perfect 4-for-4 from three and 6-for-6 at the line.

So you know how well she performed, right? But that wasn’t it, as she now stands at the third position after surpassing Cynthia Cooper for the third-longest streak of consecutive double-digit games by a rookie in W’s history in front of 13,598 fans. But even before PB gave this outstanding performance, her HC already crowned her as RoTY as he shared, “Yeah, it’s clear she’s Rookie of the Year. There’s no question.” But can you blame him for predicting? No, because while PB’s a rookie, her play on court suggests that she continues to show poise beyond her years as she’s averaging 18.8 points with 5.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 34 minutes of gameplay.

“When she touches the paint, she just plays at her own pace, right? You can’t speed her up. So she gets in there now, it’s shot fake, step through, everyone’s flying by, and she just—she doesn’t get sped up. And it’s really impressive for a rookie in this league to be able to maintain her own speed and tempo,” Koclanes shared during the post-game press conference after their recent loss against the LA Sparks. No doubt, he’s right even here, but PB’s gameplay didn’t really translate into a win this time, as it was the buzzer beater that Kelsey Plum buried, offering the Sparks an 81-80 edge.

But while everyone’s thinking about Plum banking the ball and PB not making it, HC is right there in defense as he shared, “And I think that helps her to be able to read the defense. And just like that last play of the game, I know everyone’s probably like, you need to shoot that ball, right? But that just tells, like, she sits up here and she speaks that, like, that’s who she is. That’s how she’s wired.”

Yes, PB’s got potential to drive the game as she wants, but for her the priorities are her teammates. She trusts them and passes the ball whenever she feels it’s needed. “Like she trusts her teammates, right? She’s going to pass that ball 10 times out of 10 because it’s the right play…. Um, so to have somebody like that as the future of this organization, um, just extremely lucky to have a player that serves and leader that Paige is,” he added.

Remember the Wings’ last game versus the Sparks? Playing through injury, PB’s theme even then was aggression as she attacked the paint, finished through contact, mixed her pull-up jumper, and frequently found teammates using crafty passes. And of course there’s a reason that PB’s leading records in assists, surpassing even Caitlin Clark. But her influence isn’t just limited to that, as she’s often seen supporting her mates off the court too!

How Paige Bueckers Is Slowly Shaping Up to Be the Future of the Wings

Just a couple of days ago, when Grace Berger had 2 points with 0 assists, 0 steals, and one rebound despite playing for 16:40 minutes against the Fever, it was Bueckers who applauded her. “Yeah, she’s just getting more comfortable and confident in the offense and getting us organized,” she shared in a postgame press conference after a win versus the Fever. That’s unique coming from a teammate, but as the Dallas Wings’ playoff hopes are crushed now, she’s standing tall to boost her mates’ confidence.

So when Siegrist, despite delivering 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting with six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, couldn’t get a win for the Wings and was disappointed, 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 after a loss against the Aces. PB couldn’t help but support her with words.

“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. The game comes to her and she takes full advantage of that,” she shared in the same press conference. And no doubt, she was right with the words of encouragement, as Maddy was the one who answered the call when Arike Ogunbowale was sidelined with right knee soreness and the Wings desperately needed someone.

At that time, it was her who gave a career-tying 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting in an 81-80 win over the Fever this month. So that’s the kind of locker room impact Paige Bueckers has for the Wings and she’s steadily shaping up to be the future of the Wings. But despite all these efforts, all the Wings and PB can do is act as sabotagers for other teams. Though she’s still is leading the race for RoTY this season….what do you think? Will she be able to accomplish the title? Stay tuned to know!