It’s not every day Paige Bueckers is upstaged by another rookie. The point guard rarely has off days, but Dominique Malonga pulled up to announce her arrival to the UConn grad. The Frenchwoman had 22 points, leading Storm to a 95-60 victory. On the other hand, Bueckers went scoreless in the second half, finishing with only 11 points and no assists. Even with that disappointing show, she still managed to break another record. 

Bueckers joined Caitlin Clark as the second rookie in WNBA history to score over 500 points, 150 assists, 100 rebounds, and 50 steals in a season. That is the kind of breakout year she has been having. She averages 19.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, along with 1.7 steals. Those numbers go past most of the best players in the league, making it among the best rookie seasons of all time, despite being surrounded by below-average players in comparison. However, it’s not quite up there with Candace Parker’s 2008 season, according to this analyst, and the reason behind it is as obvious as you can think of. 

CBS Analyst Erica Ayala said on their ‘We Need To Talk Podcast’, “Now, if you talk about best rookie campaign, it’s kind of hard for me, Ashley, to top when you win rookie of the year and MVP in the same season. And as these numbers are gaudy and maybe had they come a little bit earlier, um, or if people were talking about the conversation earlier, Paige might even be in that conversation for MVP.”

The fact is, the Dallas Wings haven’t won enough to bring Bueckers into that conversation. Even the surging A’ja Wilson was falling behind despite her super-human numbers as the Aces weren’t in their best form. Her odds at that award only went up after they got into their stride in the last few weeks.  The Wings weren’t expected to win with their rebuild around Bueckers this season. Many fans, including this analyst, believe the Wings currently lack the right leader to drive this overhaul.

Ashley Nicole Moss asked, “Paige is just so flourishing in her rookie season despite maybe the inadequacies in the coaching staff of Dallas. Do you think that’s because she comes from the Coach Geno pedigree, the UConn pedigree, and also because her collegiate career was longer than maybe some people thought it would have been because of the injuries?”

Ayala answered without any pause, “I mean, without question.” Chris Koclanes has been subject to loads of criticism in his rookie season as a head coach. While the team stands with him, he has some stages of development to go through before he becomes an elite coach. For Bueckers, this is a complete 180 as she comes from arguably the best basketball program in the country. 

Ayala further said, “There are coaches, there are programs that, if you look at the tenure, the extended careers of WNBA players, there are coaches that prepare their players very well for the next level, which is the WNBA. Geno Aurriemma, Chris Dailey, and the UConn organization program. That’s one of the programs that prepares you very well for the pro level.”

From strict social media policies to being taught to look fans in the eye when signing an autograph, the UConn structure is almost Spartan-like in nature. They are basically forced to focus on what’s important: basketball.  Geno Aurriemma has been the rock UConn has built this legacy, as he has been the coach from almost day 1. “We have been yelled at. Forced to tears. We have been pushed to the limits of what we thought was possible.” Wrote Rebecca Lobo, who led the Huskies to their first national championship in 1995. 

He is a perfectionist and will point out the smallest of mistakes, which has helped Bueckers blossom into he player she is today. Bueckers said of Auriemma, ” I love that man more than words can describe. … But it’s because he’s challenging me and making us all better in ways we never even knew we could.” When you have someone like Koclanes following up on a legend like Aurriemma, whose leadership style is actually studied, it is definitely underwhelming to say the least.  Despite the lack of coaching in the W, Bueckers is quickly becoming the face of the WNBA, according to this NBA star.

Draymond Green Questions Paige Bueckers as the Face of the W

As far as popularity goes in the WNBA, no one matches Caitlin Clark. All metrics, fan opinion, expert opinion, and whatever you consider point towards her being the face of the league. However, she has been off the court for the majority of this season with her repeated soft tissue injuries, and in her absence, Bueckers has taken advantage. She has broken multiple records and dazzled the newer viewers that talent exists outside of Caitlin Clark. With her performances, the league has also given her the deserved attention, and this graphic had Draymond Green questioning if there is a change in the dynamic. 

The WNBA’s single-season attendance record was toppled after 23 years. The WNBA’s 13 franchises welcomed more than 2.5 million fans over 226 games this year, besting the 2002 record set by 16 teams across 256 games. And ESPN announced this news via a graphic on their social media with none other than Bueckers in the frame. 

“So I just came across this post on ESPNW IG… and I found the picture interesting. Is there a shift happening?” Green asked. Green further explained that the Wings aren’t contributing much to this number with their average home attendance around 7000, which made him ask the question, “Is Paige quickly becoming the face of the W?”

Without Clark, absolutely yes. She has all the factors to draw that young crowd. She is among the best players in the league while having the second-most followers on social media. Even the second most popular player in the league, Angel Reese, has been out injured for some time now. That gave Bueckers some space to gobble, and she did. Her 44-point performance against the Sparks only boosted her stock. Along with her UConn history, she has almost everything going for her to build a rapid following and watch her grow even further as time goes on.