With the WNBA regular season nearing its end, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers has emerged as a star. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick has, according to a teammate, all but secured Rookie of the Year.
“That's Rookie of the Year, for sure,” Aziaha James said about Bueckers, according to ClutchPoints reporter Joey Mistretta. James was also selected in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, appearing in 33 games for the Wings this season, often playing alongside Bueckers during her emergence.
Despite the Wings going 2-8 in their last 10 games, Bueckers is averaging nearly 22 points in a game in that span, including a career-best performance against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night.
It was as if Bueckers was shooting into the ocean. She poured in 44 points on 81% shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from deep, becoming the first player in WNBA history to score at least 40 points while shooting better than 80% from the field.
Bueckers is also just the third rookie to score 40 points in a game, joining Cynthia Cooper and Candace Parker. While there's usually plenty to argue about in awards races, she's nearly put an end to those discussions.
“She is Rookie of the Year,” Wings coach Chris Koclanes said pregame Wednesday, according to Dallas Morning News' Myah Taylor. “There's no question. She makes everyone around her better.”
Just two hours later, Bueckers proved her coach right with a historic performance. Now 30 games into her WNBA career, she has yet to score fewer than 10 points in a game. And besides leading the Wings in scoring, she's averaging 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, leading all rookies in both categories.
According to BetMGM, Bueckers is now -5000 to win Rookie of the Year. So, it's not just her coaches and teammates who expect her to win the award – betting experts do, too.
And why wouldn't they? It's not every day a rookie makes WNBA history.
