When a team gets the Draft No. 1 pick like Paige Bueckers and still struggles, the issue is never just poor show. Arguably, the Dallas Wings may well be the most injury-stricken team of the 2025 season. By the time the season closes, Wings players will miss around 120 games, and nine of their twelve opening-night players will have missed at least seven games. Not a single player, not even Paige Bueckers, has managed to appear in every contest. And the latest blow came with rookie JJ Quinerly being ruled out for the rest of the season.

Drafted 27th overall in the third round of the 2025 WNBA draft, Quinerly earned a spot on the Wings’ opening roster quickly. Thanks to her chemistry with Bueckers. The two fellow guards were a lethal force on offense, but with Quinerly out and playoff hopes long gone, the lone bright spot remains Bueckers. And Wings head coach Chris Koclanes is determined to build what he can around her.

In an X post from insider Joey Mistretta revealed the plans of the Wings’ head coach, stating, “Koclanes says Quinerly’s injury will lead to Bueckers being on the ball more.” Unfortunately, what other options does Wings have? They have run out of extra point guards with only Paige Bueckers and Grace Berger left. Arike Ogunbowale and JJ Quinerly were the other players who could handle this role, but they are now on the bench.

The Quinerly–Bueckers pairing was one of the most reliable sparks for the Dallas offense. Last month, when the duo was on the floor together, the Wings posted a +2.2 Net Rating and a 111.6 Offensive Rating. To put it in perspective, the league-leading Minnesota Lynx had (107.5) then. Quinerly’s downhill burst was central to that success. She consistently pressured the rim, finishing at an efficient 68.8 percent, and her drives collapsed defenses.

That gravity opened the floor for Bueckers, who thrived on the extra space and kick-out opportunities created by her backcourt partner. Again the balance has now been disrupted. Earlier today, the Wings announced that rookie guard JJ Quinerly will miss the rest of the 2025 season after spraining the ACL in her left knee during the team’s narrow 81–80 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on August 20.

Quinerly’s raw numbers of 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game only hint at her value. Her true impact came as a playmaker who enabled Bueckers to command the offense with greater efficiency. Without her, the burden of facilitation shifts heavily onto Bueckers and, to a lesser extent, Grace Berger. For the Wings, this change risks stalling an offensive rhythm. And the results are already starting to surface.

Is Paige Bueckers losing her rhythm following playoff elimination?

The matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks was a do-or-die game for the Dallas Wings. And Paige Bueckers delivered her best performance of the season. The rookie guard erupted for 44 points on 17-of-21 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Unfortunately, Dallas fell short in the 81-80 loss. But Bueckers’ dominant outing firmly cemented her place in the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Since that playoff-eliminating defeat, however, Bueckers has struggled to find her rhythm. In back-to-back home games against the Seattle Storm and Golden State Valkyries, she posted numbers well below her season average. Against Seattle, she played just 22 minutes and finished with 11 points on 2-of-7 shooting, recording no assists. This slump continued during the Valkyries’ game.

Since her start in the WNBA, Bueckers has scored double-digit points in every game, barring the All-Star appearance. But in the Valkyries game, she managed to score only nine points in 34 minutes with a 3-12 shooting. Bueckers dished out nine assists against the Valkyries. This signals that Dallas may be leaning into the strategy outlined by her head coach: shifting her toward a facilitating role. But if this strategy comes at the expense of costing Bueckers her offensive game, maybe Wings need to go back to the drawing board.