UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Bueckers most recently led UConn to an 86-49 victory over South Florida, scoring 22 points in the game. After the win, Bueckers addressed her leadership mindset.
"I'm just trying to set the tone with how hard I play," Bueckers said, via UConn on SNY. "Trying to be disciplined... on offense and defense, take great shots, get the ball moving, get everybody involved. Make sure everybody is playing together... For me to be the team leader, me to want to show that... Show how we play here at UConn, it's everything that I want to do.... I'm very picky with what I'm doing right now because I'm showing the younger guys what we're supposed to do here."
It is one thing to be a great player. However, being a great leader can prove to be difficult. At only 23 years old, though, Bueckers is already becoming a tremendous leader. It goes without saying, but her leadership will benefit UConn. It will also catch the attention of potential WNBA suitors.
As mentioned, Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. That means whichever team selects her in the 2025 WNBA Draft will want to build their roster around her. Bueckers' leadership will make that task much more feasible.
WNBA Draft Lottery drawing near
The WNBA Draft Lottery is right around the corner. The Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings are the favorites to land the No. 1 pick. The Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics are also in the lottery.
However, Washington has the worst odds of landing the No. 1 pick out of the four teams. The Sparks technically have the best odds, but the Wings have a pick-swap with the Sky as a result of a previous trade, meaning they can swap picks with Chicago. They will certainly take advantage of this if the Sky end up with a higher pick than them in the draft.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the team with the No. 1 overall pick will likely select Paige Bueckers in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She was already expected to be selected first overall, but her recent comments will only further cement that expectation.
At the moment, Bueckers is focused on leading UConn women's basketball. UConn is 2-0 to begin the 2024-25 season, and they have championship aspirations in Bueckers' final college basketball season.