Paige Bueckers was like a Ferrari in a team of Honda Civics. The Dallas Wings star averaged 19.2 points on 47.7% shooting, along with 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. She won the unanimous rookie of the year, made the All-WNBA second team, and became an All-Star starter. She led the Dallas Wings in all major categories except rebounds. Despite this phenom leading the side, the Wings’ 34 losses tied with this year’s Chicago Sky for most losses ever in a WNBA season.

This was the narrative almost the entire season. When the story is being repeated with generational NBA prospect Cooper Flagg, many were reminded of Bueckers’ 2025 story. “For me, it’s the most I’ve lost since, ya know, I think ever?” He said. In her 4 years of UConn career, Bueckers lost in single digits, making the two situations very similar. Social media was blowing up with comparisons while insisting that the Wings should give Bueckers better teammates. 

“I might have a good individual performance, we lose as a team; other people didn’t have their best shooting performance or whatever that may be. And you look at the comments in the Instagram section, you look at social media, and it’ll say, “Paige needs help. Paige needs help,”  Bueckers said in a special feature on ‘What Drives Winning. ’ However, Bueckers refuted that idea and explained how it negatively impacted her mindset. 

“What we’re building as a team, like I need to help my teammates on the floor be the best version of themselves, and how can I help? It’s not Paige needs help. It’s we all need to together collectively, how can we all help each other be better?” Bueckers said. Throughout all the losing streaks and the heavy losses, Bueckers never blamed her teammates. 

Her career game against the Los Angeles Sparks comes to mind. Bueckers scored 44 points, tying Maya Moore’s record for most points by a rookie and setting a new one for drafted rookies. She shot 17 of 21 from the field and made all six of her free-throw attempts. Despite this level of performance, the Wings lost 81-80, thanks to Kelsey Plum’s runner at the buzzer. Apart from Maddy Seigrist’s 13 points, no one scored above 10. Even after this level of performance leading to a loss, she credited her teammates for her performance. 

“Just my teammates getting me open, screening for me, running some off ball actions, trying to get myself open looks. I mean, that just bringing the ball to four. Luc had amazing screens for me the entire night. And then my teammates just looking for me, getting me the ball, getting me open. and that’s really just them,” She said. Bueckers helped the likes of Aziaha James and JJ Quinnerly find their footing in this team, and they are looking like promising prospects. 

“It just messes with your mind mentally of you’re doing enough. You’re doing all you all that you can and nobody else is, when everybody else is trying like nobody comes to work and is not trying to put their best foot forward,” Bueckers said. From a third-person perspective, you can identify that the team is not doing enough, and she needs better players around her. However, if that seeps into Bueckers, it could have negatively impacted team harmony and even her own game. 

Things would have turned out much worse. A team-oriented output will help her and the Wings to build a team from the ground up. This kind of thinking shows her maturity. It will help Bueckers next season when the team will be further strengthened with another No.1 pick. The Wings had the best odds heading into the lottery and sent their lucky charm, Maddy Siegrist. Luck favoured Bueckers’ side, and now they hold the 2026 No.1 pick. Currently, Azzi Fudd is the favourite according to ESPN. However, if the Wings decide to follow the prediction, they are walking into a firestorm of public criticism. 

Dallas Wings Risk Backlash Drafting Azzi Fudd Amid Paige Bueckers Links

Lauren Betts was the predicted ESPN No.1 draft pick for months. Just before the lottery with the old favouring Wings, Awa Fam climbed to No.1, leaving Betts at No.2. “His (Jose Fernandez) USF program had extensive recruiting contacts in Europe — 12 of the 14 players on the Bulls roster for 2024-25 hailed from outside of the United States — and we’ve tilted our projected top pick in ESPN’s latest WNBA mock draft in that direction, too,” Michael Voepel wrote. Chiney Ogwumike agreed that Fam was a better fit with Bueckers than Betts. In this version, Fudd stood at No.4 for the Washington Mystics.

However, once the Wings officially won the lottery, Azzi Fudd jumped to the top. “Fudd has dealt with injuries in her career, but provided she stays healthy, she is an offensive standout who will be highly valued in the WNBA,” wrote Voepel. Fudd is certainly one of the brightest prospects. Last year, she shrugged off the injuries and averaged 13.6 points per game. Through 6 games this year, she is averaging 21.0 points per game on 51.1% shooting overall and 54.8% from behind the arc while pitching in with 3.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds. 

The talent is undeniable. If she keeps this up throughout the season, she may as well be drafted among the top 3. However, arguably, the Dallas Wings need a strong center and post presence to complement Bueckers rather than a shooter. Yes, they have combined successfully for UConn, winning the national championship. But that would not have happened without Sarah Strong in the center. The Wings could need a true big more. Awa Fam or Lauren Betts will be a better fit than a shooter. 

Yes, there are systems in which Fudd and Bueckers thrive together. They will form an elite backcourt capable of playing a modern 5-out system. “Paige Bueckers, and Fudd are elite backcourt players who complement each other and could be building blocks to take the Wings back to the playoffs for a sustained run,” wrote Voepel. However, drafting a big will give them more flexibility and a different archetype to build on.  

If the Wings ended up drafting Fudd, some fans would think they are doing it for the off-court value. If you are not up to date, Fudd is dating Bueckers, and they are pretty popular across social media. The two on the same team will attract even more viewers, more branding opportunities, merchandise sales, and so on. Their on-court needs at the time of the draft will depend on how free agency goes. If Wings want to achieve both, they will need to acquire elite centers. A dream scenario like signing Angel Reese in free agency will boost their on and off-court value.