If you were lucky enough to snag a seat at the College Park Center tonight, we know that you walked into a Paige Bueckers takeover. The place was packed to the rafters, 7000 strong. Each seat was draped with fresh black tees screaming “Why Slow Down?” and “5 for Rookie of the Year.” Subtle? Please. This was Dallas screaming their campaign with a megaphone in Texas.

The commentators were talking Paige, the fans were chanting “Paige,” and her teammates were feeding off her energy. As for Bueckers herself, she was delivering her flashiest night yet since walking across that draft stage as the #1 pick. Every timeout, every highlight reel, every single glance at the jumbotron was a Bueckers broadcast.

And why not? The rookie had just leapfrogged Arike Ogunbowale’s franchise record of 630 points from 2019. She did it by setting a new Wings benchmark with 650 and climbing to fourth all-time among WNBA rookies. That put her hot on A’ja Wilson’s heels at 682, and the franchise wasn’t about to let the moment slip by. They turned it into a full-blown ROTY campaign rally with a pregame honor, as they should’ve.

Pssst, here’s the secret: that campaign might have worked… or maybe it didn’t even need to. As another media giant already stamped their approval.

Yep, you guessed it, 4 of ESPN’s commentators went public with the same call: Paige Bueckers, Rookie of the Year. They joined Athletic’s Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant, who named Paige their Rookie of the Year on September 8th. The publication wrote, “No rookie has had more thrust on her shoulders than Bueckers, whose 15 shots per game are not only the most among any first-year player but the seventh-most in the league.”

They added, “The Wings star is efficient in her chances, shooting 47.4 percent from the field – the highest mark of any guard who attempts more than 10 shots per game – and she’s shown she can be a high-level facilitator too.” Well, if that little secret felt like breaking news to you, congrats. But in Dallas, it’s been more like a bedtime story told in every household since the night Paige Bueckers became the league’s first player to crack 40 points this season. She even did it in style, torching the Sparks with 44 to shatter the WNBA single-game rookie scoring record. For most voters, that was all the proof they ever needed to crown her ROTY. However, zero in on the word “most,” and here’s why:

The ROTY Debate Isn’t Closed on Paige Bueckers Yet

It’s because Sonia Citron has stormed into Year 1 with the kind of quiet dominance that makes you double-take at the box score. Nicknamed the Silent Assassin, Citron has rewritten the Mystics’ record book. She put up 14.9 points per game, earned an All-Star nod, set the franchise mark for most points in a season, and drilled more threes than any Mystic ever has. By the time the regular season wound down, she was second in rookie points, first in rookie threes, and second in fourth-quarter scoring, which basically means: showing up when it mattered most.

She even joined a rare company. Only three rookies in WNBA history have scored 650+ points with a true shooting percentage north of 55%. It’s Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and now Sonia Citron. Add in the fact that she’s third in the entire league in three-point percentage and, at one point, was helping the Mystics flirt with a playoff berth before Brittney Sykes was traded, and suddenly her case doesn’t feel so “silent” at all.

Even The Athletic admitted it. Before ultimately leaning towards Paige Bueckers, Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant made a point of spotlighting Citron’s heavy load. They talked about guarding All-Stars on over 50% of her defensive assignments, and outpacing Paige in true shooting. So yes, most voters might already be scribbling Paige’s name on the ballot. But not all, because Citron’s rookie year has been a mic-drop in its own right. For the Mystics faithful, it’s proof their rebuild is a lot further along than anyone expected.