WNBA action finally returns this Thursday after a two-week break. The time away saw Paige Bueckers and her Team USA teammates secure another gold at the FIBA World Cup. But for the Dallas Wings, the celebrations came with a slight concern.

Following a Dallas Wings practice on Wednesday, Bueckers revealed that the World Cup schedule had caused her patellar tendinitis to flare up.

“There was two back-to-backs,” she said, according to beat reporter Drake Keeler on X. “Just wanted to be cautious, take that approach. Obviously the timing was frustrating, but being smart about it too, knowing that there’s a reason and purpose for everything.”

For those unaware, Bueckers has been dealing with patellar tendinitis since high school. That’s why the Wings were so careful with her workload last season, particularly when back-to-back games came around.

Bueckers even went on record last season explaining just how difficult those back-to-backs could be.

“It usually never feels great the day after a game.”

And with the brutal World Cup schedule, it’s perhaps no surprise that the issue resurfaced.

Team USA played six games in the tournament, which ran from September 4 to 13, and appeared in multiple back-to-back games. The first was during the group stage, when Bueckers and the squad faced Italy and Czechia on September 6 and 7, respectively.

Then, they played three games in four days during the knockout stage: Hungary in the quarterfinal, a day of rest, then Spain and France in the semifinal and final to take the gold home.

By the time the gold medal game arrived, there were already signs that Bueckers was dealing with something. According to USA Today, a video began circulating online showing Bueckers rubbing her right knee before running off the court ahead of the final, raising questions about her health.

Those concerns became even more noticeable once the game got underway. Bueckers logged less than three minutes and finished with one offensive rebound as her only recorded stat.

Leading up to that game, she had been the fourth-leading scorer on the American squad, averaging 8.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game while scoring efficiently. However, she had already seen a noticeable dip in her minutes leading up to the final game.

During the group stage, she averaged 19.3 minutes per game and played about 20 minutes in the quarterfinal against Hungary. However, she dropped to 17 minutes against Spain in the semifinal and barely saw the floor against France.

The tendinitis now explains why Bueckers’ minutes gradually declined as the tournament progressed. But for the Dallas Wings, this is especially concerning given that they have already been hit hard by injuries this season.

Bueckers’ Injury Adds Another Concern For Dallas

The Wings are already without their No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft, Azzi Fudd, who is sidelined after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. And now, according to the latest reports, Dallas has also waived veteran Sug Sutton after she suffered a season-ending hand injury in practice this week.

Sutton had carved out a useful role since joining the Wings from the Portland Fire. She appeared in 22 games and averaged 2.3 points and 1.5 assists in around eight minutes per night.

Fernandez’s side has already seen Jessica Shepard and Aziaha James spend time on the sidelines this season. Alanna Smith also returned from the World Cup carrying an injury.

That makes Bueckers’ latest injury update even more concerning for the Wings, especially given her history.

Bueckers dealt with several leg injuries during college, including a tibial plateau fracture, a torn meniscus, and a torn ACL. To make things worse, she also suffered a right leg injury during her rookie season.

For a player who has appeared in 38 games this season, averaging over 33 minutes per game, an injury to Bueckers could completely derail the Wings.

But it’s not all bad news for Dallas fans.

Jose Fernandez Provides Positive Paige Bueckers Update

According to head coach Jose Fernandez, the team gave Bueckers some extra rest on Wednesday, with the Wings guard getting what he described as “a good 15-20 minutes of work” on the court.

But the good news is that Bueckers will be “full go” at the team’s shootaround ahead of their next game.

Dallas has four games left in the season and has made the playoffs for the first time in three seasons after winning a combined 19 games in their previous two seasons.

The Wings return from the World Cup break on September 17 against the Los Angeles Sparks at home. We expect Bueckers to be available, as she is currently not on the injury report.

Then, the team defends home court against the Phoenix Mercury before heading to Phoenix for a rematch and closing the season against the Seattle Storm on the road.

These four games give Dallas a chance to improve their seeding, and Paige is determined to make the most of it.

“It could be easy to come back here and take it more lightly coming off of the FIBA tournament. I didn’t really get a break, and teams are obviously going to be a little bit rusty,” Bueckers said, per Dallas News.

“…It’s easy to focus on everything that went down the past three weeks, but to be back here, to be super laser-focused, that’s what we want to do.”

For Paige Bueckers, the World Cup ended with gold. But the next challenge is already waiting. Can she deal with her recurring patellar tendinitis and help guide the team toward glory? Time will tell!