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Paige Bueckers took the day off. Her need for rest, even right after the All-Star break, exemplifies the need for change in the WNBA.
The players are tired!
This latest decision to let the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year sit out of a crucial game right in the middle of the regular season comes amidst a larger conversation about the WNBA and its schedule. Legendary Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo very recently explained the problem.
The league is able to add more games to its regular season schedule as it continues to grow. Ticket sales are up. Ratings are up. Merch is flying off of the shelves. Those are all great things!
What goes up must come down!
However, those additional games are not in line with additional time off. Injuries are up because the amount of time between games is down.
“A priority of the the WNBA Players’ Association in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement has to be addressing the condensed schedule,” Lobo said. “This season there are too many games in too short a period of time.”
She also cited the average number of days between games over the last five years:
2021: 4.03
2022: 2.81
2023: 2.88
2024: 3.23
2025: 2.70
WNBA players also carry a heavier on-court load than NBA players. On average, 20% of WNBA players played every game last season. Only 2% of NBA players played every game last season.
They also play a larger share of minutes in shorter games! WNBA players average 38% of total team minutes in a full season compared to just 26% in the WNBA. The women average 14.5 minutes per game. The men average 12.7.
Paige Bueckers is exhausted.
All of that time on the court adds up. Especially for rookies, who are coming straight off of their collegiate seasons.
UConn won the national championship on April 6. Paige Bueckers made her WNBA debut on May 2.
Not only has she been go, go, go since last October, the 23-year-old had two pretty serious surgeries in the last few years and dealt with a knee injury at the beginning of her rookie season as a pro. She still averaged 34.6 minutes per game over her first 20 games. That’s exhausting.
And thus, Bueckers will rest.
Game Status Report: @DallasWings vs. Las Vegas Aces
July 27, 2025 – College Park Center – Arlington, TX
Paige Bueckers – Out (Rest)
Ty Harris – Out (Left Knee)
Myisha Hines-Allen – Out (Right Lower Leg)
Maddy Siegrist – Out (Right Knee)#WingsUp pic.twitter.com/FTwOHiOFoy
— Dallas Wings PR (@DallasWingsPR) July 26, 2025
The haters are furious with this decision. That’s fine. Dallas is the second-worst team in the WNBA. The Wings are not going to make the playoffs.
They are happy to give their best player the day off when she needs it. Paige Bueckers is tired and sore!
The WNBA Players’ Association is going to create change.
Like Rebecca Lobo said, the WNBPA is currently negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. A lockout could happen if the league does not meet the players’ demands.
One of those demands relates to Bueckers’ need for rest. They want to increase the amount of time between games to make sure their bodies can withstand a full season. Health is a priority.
The other way to address this issue could be to expand the rosters. More players allows for a wider distribution of minutes. That is not a solution, because teams want to play their best players as much as they can, but it would help! A change to the scheduling will be the key.