Even though Caitlin Clark has been stealing all the WNBA shine lately, don’t sleep on Paige Bueckers. The UConn star is still one of the most complete basketball players in women’s college hoops, and with her college days almost over, she’s about to bring that fire to the WNBA real soon. Now, a former Seattle Storm legend chimed in on where Bueckers might end up after the draft, and while it’s a far-fetched shot, there’s a slim chance she could link up with a rookie superstar. If that happens, we’re talking about a duo that could straight-up take over the league.
According to Sue Bird, the Dallas team is officially out of the playoffs, making them eligible for the WNBA Draft Lottery. Teams in the lottery are gearing up for a top pick in the 2025 draft, which Sue Bird called “really the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes.” Dallas is looking like the favorite to snag that top pick since they’ve missed the playoffs, but don’t count the Chicago Sky out just yet. If they also get bumped from playoff contention, there’s still a shot they could grab that number one spot.
However, there’s still a twist in this whole situation. “But Dallas has the rights to swap their first-round picks with the Chicago, meaning if Dallas got the number two pick and Chicago doesn’t make the playoffs…and they got the number one pick, Dallas can swap,” Bird explained on A Touch More podcast. While Bird’s leaning towards things lining up for Dallas, the opposite could totally happen too. Chicago could end up with the second pick and flip it with Dallas to grab that number one spot and lock in Paige Bueckers.
Even though the idea of the Chicago Sky snagging Paige Bueckers is a long shot, just picture her teaming up with Angel Reese next season — that would be wild! Bueckers’ smooth handles and all-around finesse mixed with Reese’s beast mode in the paint? That duo would be straight on fire. And given Angel Reese’s stunning performance as a rookie presently, one can only imagine the stellar gameplay that might come out of the duo.
Angel Reese shattering records like it is nothing
Even though Angel Reese’s game still needs some fine-tuning, especially her offensive post moves and layups, she’s got mad potential. She’s already got that “dawg” mentality down, with a work ethic and hustle that are off the charts. Her physicality and defensive skills are next-level as the rookie broke Candace Parker’s record of 12 consecutive double-doubles. Further, the 22-year-old broke the WNBA’s single-season record for rebounds during the 79-74 defeat against the Minnesota Lynx as she scored her 418th rebound.
“She now has the WNBA single-season rebound record for total rebounds and offensive rebounds, 26 double-doubles which is a rookie record, only player to average above 12 rebounds in WNBA history, she averaged 13.1, 3 consecutive 20+ rebounds games first time ever and she was on pace to break a lot more,” Sue Bird said.
Pulling off all this in her rookie season is seriously mind-blowing. If she hones her offensive game, she’ll be straight-up unstoppable. And on top of that, just imagine her teaming up with Paige Bueckers! What’s your take on this?
Debate
Is the WNBA ready for the explosive combo of Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese?