Home
Featured
Paige Bueckers, WNBA draft No. 1 choose, launched by Wings

Paige Bueckers, WNBA draft No. 1 choose, launched by Wings

Featured11 hours ago4 Views

New Dallas Wings normal supervisor Curt Miller and head coach Chris Koclanes are properly conscious of the large job forward of them.

They inherit a crew that simply two years in the past made it to the WNBA semifinals. However a rash of accidents and free company turned this as soon as promising up-and-coming squad into one of many league’s worst, particularly on the defensive finish.

Miller, who additionally holds the title of government vp, signed veterans DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen, earlier than utilizing the No. 1 choose within the WNBA draft to pick UConn combo guard Paige Bueckers, a three-time All-American who led the Huskies to the nationwide championship earlier this month.

These additions are supposed to relieve the strain on main scorer Arike Ogunbowale, who averaged 22.2 factors, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds and a couple of.1 steals for Dallas, which completed 9-31 in 2024, giving up a league-worst 92.1 factors a recreation. Capturing guard Maddy Siegrist and heart Teaira McCowan are the others coming back from final season.

Miller mentioned he felt he met his objectives with the draft class by including winners, enhancing the crew’s ball dealing with and having impactful scorers, whereas including defenders and put up depth.

Aziaha James (twelfth general), Madison Scott (14th general), JJ Quinerly (twenty seventh general) and Aaronette Vonleh (thirty first general), joined Bueckers because the Wings launched their rookie draft class Wednesday at Dallas Metropolis Corridor.

However there isn’t a doubt the main target now, and within the subsequent couple of years, is on Bueckers and bringing her distinctive talent set to a crew and metropolis that would use some good basketball public relations.

Bueckers mentioned her religion retains her grounded on and off the court docket and that she is worked up to be in the identical metropolis as Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.

“He is been my favourite participant since ceaselessly,” mentioned Bueckers, who alluded to Irving going via his knee accidents like she did in faculty.

Off the court docket, Bueckers has a large number of endorsements, however Miller mentioned he wasn’t fearful that Bueckers would not signal her rookie-scale contract, which pays $348,198in her first 4 years, together with $78,831 in 2025.

“Simply being part of a brand new household, a brand new metropolis. Dallas is a superb sports activities metropolis,” Bueckers mentioned when requested what she is wanting ahead to. “We’re seeking to be a big-name group.

“The folks, the tradition, Dallas turning into a spot everybody needs to play. Everybody who’s right here needs to remain and having fun with taking part in collectively and being collectively on the court docket, off the court docket.”

With Bueckers within the fold, the Wings mechanically can be one of many highest-scoring backcourts. It could be anticipated that Bueckers would tackle the vast majority of the ball dealing with and sustain the effectivity she was identified to have in faculty.

Bueckers is wanting ahead to taking part in with Ogunbowale, who’s a four-time All-Star.

“She’s electrical. Can rating in any respect three ranges, clearly a bucket getter. So seeking to help her so much, house the ground, get her open seems, play off one another,” Bueckers mentioned.

An adjustment interval is bound to await Bueckers, whether or not it is immersing herself within the meals, music and, most significantly, the bodily fashion of the WNBA.

When a reporter commented that Bueckers is the most well liked factor in Dallas proper now, she was fast to place her sharp wit to make use of.

“I might say the climate’s in all probability hotter than me,” mentioned Bueckers, who, together with the man rookies, was gifted a Stetson Cowboy hat. “Undoubtedly completely different than Connecticut and Minnesota.”