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The Dallas Wings may have struggled to get wins, but rookie sensation Paige Bueckers has continued to impress many with her all-around brilliance. She has lived up to the hype of being this year's first overall pick, following up on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's stellar maiden campaign.
Many have pitted Bueckers against Clark, and for good reason. They have a lot of similarities and have battled each other since college. Some even believe that the 23-year-old Bueckers is better than the 23-year-old Clark.
One player who has seen the two All-Star guards up close is Wings guard Grace Berger. She was drafted by the Fever as the seventh overall pick in 2023 and played with Clark last season. She was waived in February. She played one game with the Los Angeles Sparks before signing a series of seven-day hardship contracts with the Wings. On Tuesday, Dallas signed Berger to a rest-of-season deal.
The 26-year-old Berger lauded the skill level of Bueckers, stressing the need to create more opportunities for the former Connecticut standout.
“We do need (Bueckers) to get the ball a lot and make the decisions, especially in transition, but when it's just dribbling the ball up the court, (we can) get her in the right spots to where she can use her strengths to score the ball. The gravity she has on the court—whenever she has the ball, everybody's on alert—that gets a lot of people open. So it's about putting her in a position to be successful,” said Berger in a report from Indianapolis Star's Brian Haenchen.
While Berger acknowledged the uncertainties in the WNBA, she said she has gotten more comfortable with the Wings, saying they're “an easy group to fit in with.”
“I have been seeing little stuff on film where I can be better. Pushing the pace, (recognizing) where we want Paige and Arike (Ogunbowale) to get the ball, different things like that,” added Berger.
It looks like Berger has found a new home.
