The Dallas Wings may remain one of the worst teams in the WNBA, as evidenced by their 10-34 record, which was tied for the worst in the association, but their future is bright, if only due to the presence of superstar in the making Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers, the first overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, showed for the entirety of her rookie year that it will not be taking long at all for her to emerge as one of the best players in the league, and she certainly ended the season on a high note, putting up 24 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a 97-76 win over the playoff-bound Mercury.
In so doing, the undisputed favorite to win the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year award set a few records in the process — even besting the one set by Las Vegas Aces star and three-time MVP A'ja Wilson. According to Wings PR on X, by dropping 24 points, she passed Wilson for third all-time for most points scored by a rookie, with 683. (Wilson had 682.) And with her seven dimes, she also tied Sue Bird for the number three spot in most assists for a WNBA rookie.
PAIGE BUECKERS BREAKING RECORDS TONIGHT 🔥
She surpasses Sue Bird’s 191 in 2002 for the 2nd-most assists by a rookie in WNBA history.
And also surpasses A’ja Wilson’s 682 points to claim the 3rd-most by a WNBA rookie.pic.twitter.com/ZqQ04I5Zjv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 12, 2025
There are only two players above Bueckers on the all-time rookie points leaderboard, with those players being Seimone Augustus, who scored 744 in 2006, and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who recorded 761 points and set the rookie record in the process with a bonkers inaugural campaign in the WNBA.
Being in this kind of company bodes well for Bueckers and her future as a star in the WNBA. Wilson is a multi-time MVP, as was previously mentioned. Bird is one of the all-time greats of the game and is a Hall of Famer. Augustus is a former eight-time All-Star, while Clark appears to be on her way to dominating the league, provided she stays healthy.
The Wings definitely have a keeper in Bueckers.
Wings have to build a better roster around Paige Bueckers
Now that the Wings have actually gotten past the difficult part of acquiring a franchise cornerstone, the goal now for them is to build a better roster around her. Bueckers is so talented at just 23 years of age that many All-Star-caliber players will want to team up with her — especially considering her all-around game and excellent scoring ability from everywhere on the court.
It will not be playoffs or bust for the Wings in 2026, but they have to be better — no ifs or buts about it.
