Remember Paige Bueckers’ 2024 Final Four with UConn and how one thing became crystal clear to her then, thanks to the ever-dramatic wisdom of Geno Auriemma? Back then, PB was a modest 1-of-4 in the first quarter against Iowa, while Auriemma stood on the sidelines chewing his words. Well, that was until he didn’t. When the timeout buzzer rang and Bueckers plopped down on the bench, her coach didn’t exactly channel inner peace. He went full Geno, got in her face, and yelled, “You need to (expletive) shoot more!” Now, fair enough. Iowa’s defense wasn’t exactly magical; it was just Bueckers who wasn’t cashing in on those open looks like she should’ve been.
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So, heading into her final season in Storrs, striking the sweet spot between being generous with the ball and being the team’s go-to became her mission. And turns out, when Bueckers decides, things happen without any questions. She shot 60 percent or better in 13 games as she left college. But the WNBA? Well, that’s a whole new beast, as they say. Which is why, even though the Dallas Wings took home a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night, what lingered in Paige’s mind were not the good vibes, but her three turnovers. Not because her game is slipping, but because the WNBA comes with a new level of “welcome-to-the-big-leagues” physicality.
The Mercury didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet either. They came at her with traps, switches, and enough contact to show that they now recognize her as ‘that’ girl. But Bueckers handled it like a pro, drawing fouls, threading needles with her passes, and making it through defenders with her footwork. Still, it must have been hard not to imagine Geno yelling in her head, because even after dropping 23 points on 8-of-11 FG, 5-of-9 from deep, and 5-of-6 from the line, she wasn’t satisfied.
Also, it is now clear that she is doing what she aimed. She is creating her own path, and she is taking one step at a time without chasing shortcuts, and more importantly, without letting the pressure crush her. In a league where spectators can be tougher than the defenders, that’s a rare kind of cool. Her response after the win over Seattle (another game, another 3 turnovers) was just as introspective, or perhaps a more elongated version.
“I mean, it’s probably smart just to blitz and get my the ball out of my hands,” Bueckers had said. “Just trying to adjust offensively to how to counteract a trap and just maybe touch it, and maybe less ball screens and screening me, me getting other people open, attacking in transition. But it’s just something, a different look that defenses are throwing at me, which is an adjustment, and so just continue to learn and work through that.”
