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ARLINGTON, TX — Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers recently did not play in the second of a back-to-back due to a knee issue. Wings head coach Chris Koclanes later shut down serious concern over the issue, saying the decision was more about injury management as opposed to a new concern. However, what exactly is the issue that Bueckers is battling? After practice on Wednesday, Bueckers — who has participated in both practices since missing Saturday's game — revealed the truth about her knee injury.
“It’s difficult but at the same time I want to play 40 minutes, I want to play every single game,” Bueckers told reporters. “But also being smart and understanding the fact that there's a long season and I want to have a long career ahead… I’ve been dealing with patellar tendinitis since I was in high school… In a sense, you’re managing it at all times. There’s no day where it probably doesn’t hurt. But to be on the second night of a back-to-back where I just played 38 minutes, it usually never feels great the day after the game.
“But we usually either have a off day or a light practice day to where I can recover… Assuming I would either have to play a lot of minutes or be managed, we thought it was the smart thing to do to rest and recover.”
Paige Bueckers is in the middle of a strong rookie season. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is averaging 18.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per outing while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. The Wings, however, are just 5-13 overall and are currently dealing with injury concerns. Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington and Maddy Siegrist are among the players dealing with injury trouble.
“Unfortunately I have kind of been through this in terms of being short-handed and having not the full roster at UConn,” Bueckers said of the Wings' roster being limited at the moment. “That was kind of a theme of my career. So used to it, next woman up. Whoever we got we feel like we have enough.
“Just kind of makes you feel like the underdog in a sense of you’re kind of beating the odds. It’s actually kind of fun to play where the odds are stacked against you.”
Bueckers is maintaining her positivity heading into Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Mercury. Still, getting the job done will be a challenge for the short-handed Wings against a talented Mercury team.
