The Dallas Wings entered the 2026 WNBA season looking like one of the worst teams in the league on paper. But behind Paige Bueckers, they have completely changed the narrative around them. Halfway through the year, they have already won 16 games after being limited to just 10 wins throughout the entire 2025 campaign. So the former No. 1 overall pick has done enough to put herself right in the middle of the MVP conversation.

But Bueckers’ case can’t be separated from what’s happening around her, since the award has always weighed a candidate’s impact on winning as much as raw stats – something analysts Zena Keita and Sabreena Merchant discussed, with Merchant bringing up one other veteran name from the Wings. 

“Shooting incredibly efficiently from the field – about 51%. 41% from three. Super big jump in her three-point percentage from where she was as a rookie. She’s top 10 in scoring and assists per game in the league,” Keita said during the latest episode of No Offseason. “She’s dragging Dallas up. Worst record in the league, playoff contender team. They don’t have the best record, so I’m going to put that to the side. But they’re doing some things.”

“And she might win. I don’t know what her clutch numbers are, but she might win Clutch Player of the Year if there was such an award in the W,” she added.

Paige Bueckers is currently averaging 20.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game while shooting exactly 51.6% from the field and 38.1% from three. And even though she hates it, she is leading the entire league in fourth-quarter scoring with 138 points, which have again and again helped her team secure their wins when the games get too close.

So is it really a surprise that many now see her as one of the strongest challengers to reigning MVP A’ja Wilson?

However, while Bueckers has been the face of Dallas’ turnaround, Sabreena Merchant believes there is one factor that gives one food for thought. 

“Paige is in the top five that I had listed of names that I’m considering here. The tricky thing with Paige is just Shepard. Jessica Shepard has been so valuable to the Dallas Wings. So who is more valuable is an interesting question,” Merchant said.

Her argument definitely doesn’t come out of nowhere. While Paige Bueckers has received much of the attention, Shepard has been one of the most consistent players in the Wings lineup. Behind her 15.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per game average, she has recorded double-doubles in 15 of her 24 appearances and has already earned two Player of the Week honors.

And that ultimately leads us to the biggest question surrounding Bueckers’ MVP push. Is she the sole reason Dallas has become a playoff contender, or is it the combination of a roster that has found the perfect balance around her?

Either way, there is no denying the impact Paige Bueckers has had. But whether it is enough to overtake reigning MVP Wilson remains to be seen.