When Paige Bueckers limped to the locker room at halftime against the Phoenix Mercury, concern spread quickly across the Dallas Wings fanbase. The star guard had rolled her ankle awkwardly while fighting for a rebound in the second quarter, and given her extensive injury history, the sight immediately raised alarm bells.

But Bueckers quickly put those fears to rest. She returned for the second half and later revealed that the injury was not serious. However, as it turned out, the Wings were not willing to take any unnecessary risks with their franchise star, opting for a cautious approach ahead of their matchup against the Portland Fire.

Initially listed as questionable ahead of the matchup against the Fire, Bueckers was later downgraded to out before tipoff. And while the decision may have disappointed Dallas fans, coach Jose Fernandez made it clear that the organization was focused on the bigger picture rather than rushing its franchise star back onto the floor.

“I think she’s going to be day-to-day,” Fernandez said as per reporter Grant Afseth. “It’s a long season, and caution is important. After the flight out here, it was the best decision for her to get rest tonight and get healed up.”

“We’ve got a long year. Paige is who she is, and trust me, she wants to be on the floor tonight. But the best thing for her longevity, her career, and the franchise is making sure we take care of her and that she takes care of her body,” he continued. 

When Paige Bueckers downplayed concerns surrounding her ankle injury, it was easy to understand why. The Wings star had just delivered a season-high 31 points while adding six rebounds and five assists against the Mercury. In the process, she recorded the highest-scoring game by any player this season without attempting a free throw and became just the 10th player in WNBA history to score 30 or more points in a game without getting to the free-throw line.

But it is easy to understand why the Wings chose to err on the side of caution. The Dallas guard has battled through ACL tears, a tibial plateau fracture, and lateral meniscus tears throughout her career. And while her knee injuries have often dominated the conversation, her right ankle has its own history. In 2021, Bueckers underwent surgery to repair an osteochondral defect in that ankle, a pre-existing issue involving damage to the bone and cartilage that dated back to her freshman year. 

In fact, Bueckers herself acknowledged last season that the combination of her previous knee surgeries and chronic patellar tendinitis would require her to manage her workload carefully, particularly during back-to-back games. 

“It’s difficult. But at the same time, I want to play 40 minutes, I want to play every single game. But also being smart and understanding that there’s a long season,” Bueckers said last season as per Sports Illustrated. “Not so much a load management. Just being smart. I’ve been dealing with patellar tendonitis since I was in high school. And it is, in a sense of you’re managing it, at all times.”

“There’s no day where it probably doesn’t hurt. But to be on the second night of a back-to-back, where I just played 38 minutes, it usually never feels great the way after the game. But we usually either have an off-day or a light practice day to where I can recover,” Bueckers added. 

The Wings have shown a willingness to prioritize the bigger picture when it comes to player health. They took a similarly cautious approach with rookie Azzi Fudd earlier this season, holding the No. 1 pick out of a game due to injury concerns.

For Dallas, protecting the long-term health of its stars appears to outweigh the short-term benefit of having them on the floor. Players may want to suit up every night, but it is often the organization’s responsibility to protect them from themselves. But not having Paige on the floor ended up costing the Wings big time.

Paige Bueckers is crucial for this team

Coach Fernandez deserves credit for thinking long term here. After all, playing your star player to win now makes sense. Even more for Dallas. Especially as ghosts of last season’s horrible outing remain fresh this season. (They finished with a 10-34 record).

But without their best player, who was averaging 19.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds entering the game, the Wings struggled to overcome a Portland Fire team desperate to snap a four-game losing streak. Without Bueckers’ efficiency and shot creation, Dallas managed to shoot just 39% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. 

Bridget Carleton stole the show on the night, knocking down six three-pointers on her way to 20 points. And when it mattered most, Emily Engstler calmly sank the second of two free throws with just two seconds remaining to seal an 84-83 Commissioner’s Cup victory for the Fire.

For the Wings, Arike Ogunbowale led the way with 22 points while Azzi Fudd and Aziaha James combined for 35 more. However, their efforts were not enough to prevent Dallas from slipping to a 3-2 record in the Commissioner’s Cup.

The Wings fanbase will be hoping this was the only game Bueckers misses and that she returns in time to face the Aces. Yes, falling to 8-5 might spark some concern among fans, but as coach Jose Fernandez said, this is a long season. And right now, caution may be exactly what the Wings need.