It's safe to say Paige Bueckers had a major first year in the WNBA. Though the Dallas Wings didn't have a strong season, Bueckers was named Rookie of the Year and put up an impressive stat line that will carry her into the 2026 season.
In an interview with USA Today published Monday, Bueckers pointed to her time at UConn under head coach Geno Auriemma as a key contributor to making her first season in the league easier to roll with than it might have been otherwise. That isn't a surprising admission — Bueckers and Auriemma are clearly close, and she spent five seasons playing for the Huskies.
But it does bring up a topic that the WNBA may want to more closely consider: not all athletes are entering the league equally. Take factors such as NIL deals and brand endorsements out of the conversation, and the fact of the matter is that some athletes will have a leg up just because they played for teams and under coaches who are notoriously incredible.
There's not much the WNBA can do in terms of evening out the playing field, but hopefully the league will emphasize roster expansion in the new CBA. Expanding team rosters would allow the league to retain more players who show strong promise but didn't necessarily get the same kind of court education that others did. This would allow those players to continue to develop at the highest level in the world, to stay closer to their homes and families in the US, and could even strengthen the league as a whole in more ways than one. After all, a lot of players are simply arguing for more investment from the league across the board.
As USA Today noted, Bueckers not only brought enormous skill into the league — she was able to carry a winning mindset right on in with her. It was likely understandably difficult for Bueckers to adjust to playing for a team the trended toward the bottom of the league all season, especially since she was drafted so soon after winning the NCAA championship with the Huskies this year.
"To come off of a national championship, where you're on top of the world, and then come to the Dallas Wings organization and not have immediate success in terms of the end result of a winning and losing season," Bueckers told the outlet. "I believe everything in my life happens for a reason and there's a purpose. And even through the injuries, through all the adversity in my life, I've always looked back and been extremely grateful for it."