According to ESPN, Bueckers has 26.8 NET Points on mid-range jumpers in 2026, just about lapping Courtney Williams’ 18.4 points in second place, while using the dying art form to score around 25% of her points this season. Bueckers improved her mid-range percentage during each full season at UConn and has relied on these shots to launch her ascendant WNBA career, a result of both her developing skill set as a young player and a response to her debilitating string of injuries with the Huskies.
The reigning Rookie of the Year made an appearance on fellow UConn alum Sue Bird’s podcast, “Bird’s Eye View,” on Friday, discussing how her knee injuries in Storrs led her toward an embrace of the mid-range game. Bird asked Bueckers if she believes that she is the same player following her injuries.
“I don’t,” Bueckers said. “And it’s funny cause people get mad because I don’t attack the rim as often. And part of that is like kind of trauma of like playing in crowded areas, having to land on one leg, but it helped me really learn how to get to my spots efficiently and like work smarter and not harder.”
Bueckers hit the ground running with UConn as a freshman en route to a historic Naismith-winning campaign, where her mid-range game, despite shooting a stellar 45%, was the weakest aspect of her offensive game. The Minnesota native was nearly automatic at the rim, and she actually shot better on 3-pointers (46%) than in the mid-range.
Her first major knee injury came against Notre Dame in December 2021, suffering a torn meniscus, as she missed two months and was limited to just 13 starts on the season. Bueckers went on to tear her ACL that offseason, missing the entire 2022-23 campaign as the Huskies slumped to a Sweet 16 exit.
Bueckers returned with an altered shot diet for her redshirt junior year, attempting 40 more mid-range jump shots than her last full season and hitting at a near-50% rate. For her final season in Storrs, Bueckers added 30 more mid-range attempts and upped her percentage to 53%, pulling up 23 times in the Final Four alone as UConn finally managed to snap its national championship drought.
Even as arguably the WNBA’s best mid-range scorer, Bueckers continues to develop this aspect of her game. During her visit to Chicago this past weekend for the WNBA All-Star Game, Bueckers worked out with NBA star Kevin Durant, commonly regarded as one of basketball’s greatest-ever mid-range scorers.