Here\u2019s the theme for the 2025 W season you guys have been loving: \u201cWho will dominate the decade?\u201d With two consecutive explosive\u202f #1 picks going toe-to-toe, it feels like Breanna Stewart (2016) vs. A\u2019ja Wilson (2018) all over again. There\u2019s maybe even shades of Sabrina Ionescu (2020) vs. Rhyne Howard (2022). However, Paige Bueckers, who often falls on the \u201cless favored\u201d side of these debates (against Caitlin Clark) sticks to her mantra: \u201cComparison is the thief of joy,\u201d she believes. Which is why. \u201cI\u2019m just focused on myself, how I can better myself, how we can better the team.\u201d But three-time MVP A\u2019ja Wilson may have just (unintentionally) tossed Paige a lifeline in this debate. What she said might flip Paige\u2019s feelings about comparisons entirely.<\/p>\n
But before we get to what A\u2019ja Wilson had to say about Paige, let\u2019s set the record straight. Bueckers is no tagalong in this race. She just etched her name in WNBA history as the first rookie ever to notch 350+ points and 100+ assists in her first 20 games. Not even Caitlin Clark has done that. Of course, Clark still wears the crown. But all the comparisons will finally settle on the court on August 12. It\u2019s when Caitlin Clark is expected to return from her right groin injury. Upon her return, she will face Paige Bueckers and the Wings for their first pro matchup. And yet, just as things were about to settle, A\u2019ja Wilson went and stirred the pot.<\/p>\n
Pregame vs the Wings, an interviewer asked the Aces\u2019 power center, \u201cWhat have you seen from a young player that has impressed you with her (Paige Bueckers) development?\u201d\u00a0To this, A\u2019ja Wilson didn\u2019t hold back and opened with \u201cI think the biggest thing that has impressed me with Paige is she plays at her own rhythm and her own beat and she allows her teammates to come along and play alongside her in that space.\u201d\u00a0Sure that\u2019s true, but here\u2019s where things get interesting, \u201cit\u2019s just this pace and this rhythm that she plays with. I haven\u2019t really seen it in a rookie in a minute,\u201d said Wilson. Read between the lines, and \u201cnot even in Caitlin Clark,\u201d it implies.<\/p>\n
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A\u2019ja Wilson might have a valid point there. Not because one is \u201cbetter,\u201d but simply because the two barely resemble each<\/a> other\u2019s games outside their explosiveness and star NCAA r\u00e9sum\u00e9s. Caitlin Clark has been thriving as a volume scorer with limitless shooting range. She\u2019s great at stretching defenses out to the logo, and that requires one to have an amped up pace and changing rhythm. Whereas Paige Bueckers is a role model for all-around efficiency. She is good at blending elite decision-making, sharp defense, and a more balanced scoring approach. They simply orbit different basketball philosophies.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But since when has logic ever stopped the audience from creating storylines? As Paige herself admitted, \u201cThose comparisons are just media-driven, narrative-driven. And they\u2019re good for the game in terms of getting people to talk about it and it being a talking point.\u201d Look at the numbers: through their first nine rookie games, their scoring averages were virtually identical (17.7 for Clark to 17.6 for Bueckers). Moreover, Clark had a slight edge in assists (6.6 to 5.7), while Paige Bueckers made her mark on defense by posting more steals (2.1 to 1.2). Those stats are proof that both players dominate, just differently. As Bueckers put it, \u201cCaitlin\u2019s a phenomenal player. We\u2019re also completely different players.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0However, one thing has surely been common for both Bueckers and Clark lately: time spent on the sideline.<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers Benched to Play the Long Game<\/p>\n For Paige Bueckers, her most recent absence came during the Wings\u2019 106\u201380 blowout loss to the Las Vegas Aces. It was a lost game she didn\u2019t even dress for. The cause? Not injury, but caution. Dallas head coach Chris Koclanes explained pregame that the team decided to sit their rookie star. It came after what he described as \u201can insane stretch\u201d in their schedule.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Truly, the Wings played five games in eight days, including back-to-back matchups against the league\u2019s last two title winners. This isn\u2019t new for Paige Bueckers. Earlier this season, she sat out the June 28 game against the Mystics after her right knee flared up. She later revealed that she deals with patellar tendonitis. It is a chronic issue that requires constant monitoring to prevent setbacks.<\/p>\n Even with Dallas struggling at 7\u201318, the Wings are thinking long-term. They are responsibly putting Paige Bueckers\u2019 health first. All of it while she continues to pace all rookies with 18.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Assuming there will be no setbacks, she\u2019s slated to return Monday when the Wings will face the Liberty. Moreover, just in time for their highly anticipated clash with Caitlin Clark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s the theme for the 2025 W season you guys have been loving: \u201cWho will dominate the decade?\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-43082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}