It always feels like Paige Bueckers has an extra second to make decisions on the court. Her movements feel smooth and slow, yet they outpace opponents most of the time. She did not feel the step up from college basketball to the WNBA, fitting in with the Dallas Wings like a glove. Now, that effortless game is set to get another twist after inspiration from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Paige Bueckers’ difference showed immediately in her Unrivaled debut with Breeze. Late in the first half against Phantom, with six seconds left, she faced Natasha Cloud, one of the WNBA’s elite defenders. One calm sidestep later, the three dropped effortlessly. Now, another layer is emerging. Bueckers is learning to draw fouls, and she is already mastering that craft.

“I want to work on my left hand… get to the free throw line more, so lowkey a little foul bait, but also the Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] shoulder bump into my midrange pull up,” Bueckers told Bleacher Report. 

Paige finished with 24 points on the night on 7-15 shooting from the field in a win for the Breeze against the Phantom, a team with the likes of Kelsey Plum, Aliyah Boston, and Tiffany Hayes.

Bueckers went 5-5 from an additional $50,000, now leads the league in free throws made after day 1. So, her goal of drawing more fouls than usual is off to a flyer. That means she is also leading the race to win the additional $50,000 in the prize pool. 

In December, Unrivaled and Xfinity announced a player free-throw challenge. As part of the challenge, the Unrivaled player who records the highest free-throw percentage across the first five games of the season will earn a $50,000 prize. This development comes after Bueckers wasn’t the most free-throw dependent guard in the WNBA. 

She scored just 19.5% of her points at the foul line, getting just 4.2 free throws per game, which ranked 8th among guards.ON the other hand, Alexander was second in the NBA in free throws attempted last year. However, the comparison to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t new, since everything regarding her game was similar to the OKC star, apart from free throws.

When Bueckers arrived in the WNBA, Emily Edler of The Next described Bueckers’ game as similar to “Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander without the foul-baiting.” Her midrange is already almost impossible guard as she shoots 44.6% from her middy’s while making 2.5 per game (2nd most in the WNBA).

Adding that shoulder bump will make that even more difficult to lock down. So will she follow in 2024-25 MVP Alexander’s footsteps in 2026 to win the MVP after acquiring this prized skill?

Analyst picks Paige Bueckers to win WNBA MVP before Caitlin Clark

After being drafted at No.1 by the Dallas Wings, she carried a side that struggled and finished as an All-Star, All WNBA, and the Rookie of the Year. Bueckers set a new Dallas rookie scoring record while averaging 19.2 points per game, which was fifth-best in the league. She shot 47.7% from the field, the third-highest this season amongst guards.

In addition, she held a team-best 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game, both in the top 10 league-wide. Building on that season, Ben Pickman of The Athletic expects Bueckers to win the 2026 WNBA MVP.

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While predicting a first-time MVP winner, Pickman wrote, “It also seems like a matter of when, not if, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers will take home league MVP awards and snap a decade-plus-long streak without a guard winning MVP. For now, I’ll take Bueckers.”

Caitlin Clark did not have the best 2025 season. She was limited to just 13 games with multiple soft tissue injuries. Clark averaged 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 8.8 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field. More significantly, she shot a poor 27.9% from the three-point line. She is back to full fitness, as we witnessed at the Team USA camp. But her injuries could still prevent her from returning to her absolute best and improving. 

While Bueckers is in a better position individually, at least for now. However, the team record also matters when it comes to MVP. The Indiana Fever had a Cinderella run to the 2025 semifinals without Clark and will only improve with her. There are question marks whether Wings can effectively rebuild this offseason. Especially after the poor front office decisions in the past few years.