The 2026 MVP has always felt like A’ja Wilson’s to win. But Paige Bueckers might make the 4-time MVP make a run for her money. The Dallas Wings star is among the best players in the league to start the 2026 season. She is averaging 18.7 points, 6 assists and 3.6 rebounds on an insane 50.5/40.9/80.4 shooting split. However, the Dallas Wings star still needs to prove herself more consistently, according to this retired 5x All-Star.
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“Paige is shooting post-player numbers as a point guard. She’s shooting 51% from the field. That’s crazy. You’ve got posts doing that—and 42% from three,” Ros Gold Onwude opined on the Court Vision podcast. “She put on the muscle. She’s playing stronger. I think she’s in the convo, and the Wings are certainly a much better team this season than last season.”
“I’m not totally sold yet. I need to see a couple more wins,” Angel McCoughtry responded instead. “Then we can talk about if Paige is an MVP. I’m not ready yet.”
Bueckers has worked in the offseason to improve her physicality and her ability to finish around the rim. Her three-point shooting stands at 42.6%, a 9.5% increase from 33.1% during her rookie season.
Meanwhile, the Wings are currently 9-6, with the latest loss coming against the Golden State Valkyries. After starting strong in the first quarter, they stumbled in the second. The Valkyries outscored the Wings 27-7. Bueckers struggled against the third-best defense in the league. She totaled 15 points while shooting 5-13 from the field and 1-5 from the three-point line. However, her creativity was on full display with 8 assists on just 2 turnovers. But for MVP conversations, she needs more volume and consistency.
The efficiency might be impressive, but Wilson is averaging 26.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists blocks per game. Bueckers is reportedly 8th in the league in assists.
In fact, she scored 31 points against the Mercury while shooting 70% from the field. As per High Post Hoops, Bueckers is one of only five players to score 30 or more points on at least 70% shooting from the field this season and the first to do it with zero free-throw attempts. At the same time, she has had 4 games with 15 or fewer points.
The star has the pieces to work with at Dallas with Azzi Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepherd. Bueckers also has the popularity, being the second most popular player in the first week of the All-Star vote. If she manages to find her rhythm, the 24-year-old is definitely a candidate to enter the MVP conversations.
