For Dallas, the draft was a lottery. Imagine picking Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers! So, when the Dallas Wings won the 2025 WNBA draft lottery, their fans went crazy with excitement, because how often do you get a chance to draft a generational player (without even having the best odds)? Sure, there was a possibility of developmental pains during the season, but they did not care. However, after all the excitement and build-up, how is their season going? Not as they expected, forcing tough pressers for the HC to tackle.

The Wings are sitting 11th in the league with a 6-14 record. While their record and standing in the league may indicate a bleak story, the reality is a little different. Firstly, when more than half of a roster is made up of rookies and sophomores, growing pains are a part of the journey. Secondly, if having the majority of your roster as rookies/sophomores wasn’t enough, Wings have to navigate the worst kind of spoilsport you can in professional sports, injuries.

Having regular injuries has hampered head coach Chris Koclanes’ plans throughout the season. Because of the constant chaos due to injuries, he has had to constantly change his starting lineup. So far this season, the Wings have used eight different lineups. Navigating these challenges for someone who’s in his first season as a head coach cannot be easy. However, he has seemed calm and has seemed to embrace the chaos. 

Speaking at a post-game interview after the Wings’ brutal 30-point loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Chris Koclanes took a positive approach to take control of the locker room. “Yeah, I like, I like our class. We got a bunch of really good players and, more importantly, we got a bunch of really good people. They’re just fantastic in the locker room. They’re A-plus humans, they’re wonderful teammates, they’re committed, they want to be better, they want to be great for the team, for the locker room.” Injuries, yes. Bonding? Always together.

He further continued to heap praise on his players to boost their morale, especially the rookies. “J.J. getting more and more comfortable as a Point Guard. Last couple of years at West Virginia, she played off the ball so realy, really commanding that Point Guard spot and finding the balance of when to score and when to facilitate and her tempo has impacted us in so many positive ways.” J.J. Quinerly’s growth as a playmaker is evident in the last five games, as the team believes in having trust in her and the position she is playing. 

“And then Paige is doing great as well. Continuing to get more and more comfortable playing on the ball and now off the ball with J.J. And then with Lou, tough little stretch here for her, but she still is going to compete every single possession and just does a lot of things that don’t show up in a box score that really keep us cohesive.” Bueckers is as usual in her form unless injury takes part in her play.

Head coach Chris Koclanes is working hard to keep spirits high in Dallas, but a 6-14 record and mounting injuries haven’t made it easy. However, there’s renewed optimism with DiJonai Carrington, Arike Ogunbowale, and Maddy Siegrist nearing a return. While praising his squad’s effort, Trammell also tipped his hat to Sami Whitcomb, whose elite off-ball movement led to an unstoppable 36-point outburst. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers had a quieter outing—an unusual sight for someone of her caliber.

Paige Bueckers makes history despite a quiet game against the Mercury

Paige Bueckers has had an electric entry into the WNBA. Even though the Wings have struggled immensely this year, Bueckers has kept performing. The expectations set for her were very high, with all the build-up and hype around her arrival in the league. And she has delivered on all of them. From regularly delivering performances to breaking records as a rookie, Paige Bueckers has done it all in her rookie year. It’s come to a stage where even if she has an off-game, there’s still a chance that she’s made another record. 

Something similar happened in last night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury. Despite scoring just 11 points and going just 3-11 from the floor, Bueckers made history yet again. With her 15th straight double-digit game, Bueckers equaled Lauren Jackson, Elle Delle Donne, and Chiney Ogwumike for the seventh-longest double-digit scoring streak to begin a WNBA career. But wait…. there’s more.

This isn’t the first record Paige Bueckers has broken. Just a few days ago, she became the fastest rookie to have more than 250 points since 2006. A record she surpassed in just 13 games. She is going at such a pace that even the WNBA’s most impactful player, Caitlin Clark’s records, are not even safe. Recently, Paige Bueckers broke not one but two of CC’s records.

Following the Wings’ June 22 game against the Washington Mystics, Bueckers broke the record of being the fastest rookie to reach 200+ points, 50+ assists, and 50+ rebounds. While Clark’s took 12 games to reach the figure, Bueckers broke her record in just 11 games. A few days later, another CC record was shattered by Paige Bueckers. With the fan voting results for the WNBA All-Star weekend coming up, Paige broke the record of votes received by a rookie.

With the potential Paige Bueckers is showing and with her already going at a record pace, the mood among the Wings fans is elated. Sure, the team does struggle right now, but that is all part of growing pains. With Bueckers at the helm and with a young supporting cast next to her, there is no limit to how high the Dallas Wings can fly…