‘A Whole Bunch of Potential’: Paige Bueckers Embraces Dallas Wings Rebuild Despite Tough Season

Grant AfsethSeptember 15, 2025October 21, 2025no comment

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Paige Bueckers ended her first WNBA season with gratitude and conviction. After the Dallas Wings closed their 2025 campaign with a 97-76 victory over the Phoenix Mercury, the rookie guard looked past the 10-win record and pointed to what she believes is a foundation for long-term growth.

“Just a whole bunch of potential. And it showed up in so many different stories this season,” Bueckers said. “I feel like there’s so many different things that have captivated what we’ve been through as a team and how much we’ve overcome.”

The Wings’ season ended with a performance that highlighted the promise of their youth. In front of their ninth sellout crowd, Dallas became the first team in WNBA history to have three rookies score 20 or more points in the same game. Bueckers led with 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal, finishing No. 3 on the league’s all-time rookie lists for points (692) and assists (194). She passed A’ja Wilson on the scoring ledger and Sue Bird on the assists chart.

Aziaha James and Amy Okonkwo each added 20 points off the bench. James tied her career high in rebounds, while Okonkwo set personal bests in scoring, field goals made, 3-pointers made and steals. Their production helped Dallas close on a high note despite a difficult year.

“People can look at the results and say, how can you be so happy with a 10-win season?” Bueckers said. “But I know I’ll look back at the end of my career and be really appreciative for this rookie season, as long as everybody else.”

Dallas Wings Build Strength Through Adversity

For Bueckers, the season was defined by challenges that tested the Wings’ resilience. The low point came in late August, when the team nearly fell below the WNBA’s minimum requirement of eight available players ahead of a road game against the Atlanta Dream. Dallas signed guard Christyn Williams to an extreme hardship contract and re-signed forward Amy Okonkwo on a seven-day hardship deal just to meet league standards.

“It started from the beginning of the season — trades, people in and out. I don’t know if this was the first or second time ever in league history that there was an extreme hardship,” Bueckers said. “We’re sitting in the locker room before the game with seven people, I think you need eight available. Christyn’s getting her physical, she comes in and we ask her if she passed, and we all stand up and cheer because we can play a game today.”

The scramble reflected a season of constant upheaval. With injuries mounting, the Wings tied the WNBA record for most players to appear for a team in a single season (21), a mark first set by the Phoenix Mercury in 2003. Dallas also matched the league record for different starting lineups in a season with 18, a figure five other franchises had previously reached.

Bueckers said the only way forward was for her teammates to accept the uncertainty of their roles and continue to show up for the team. She emphasized how much she respected rookies JJ Quinerly and Aziaha James for working behind the scenes, along with veterans like Tyasha Harris and Maddy Siegrist, who dealt with fluctuating responsibilities.

“Fellow Rook, [Aziaha James] and [JJ Quinerly], coming in, being behind me, [Arike Ogunbowale], [Tyasha Harris], [Myisha Hines-Allen] at the beginning of the season not knowing what the role was gonna be, and they just put their head down and kept working,” she said. “They came in and played vital roles in and out of the starting lineup. Never complained once, first ones in the gym, last ones to leave. Then you got Haley and Grace, who got waived from their beginning teams, and they come in here and have immediate impact and played a huge role the rest of the season in the starting lineup.”

She also stressed that enduring constant roster turnover and hardship circumstances didn’t just test the Wings — it bonded them. For Bueckers, what mattered was how the group drew closer and learned to fight together through a season of instability.

“I wish I could go and tell everybody’s stories,” Bueckers said. “So many people getting their first opportunity in the league, to be able to share that with them. Just how much we’ve stuck together through it all, how close we’ve gotten, how much adversity we’ve been through. I’ve been through a lot of adversity at UConn, and you see the progression and the strength that builds for you individually and collectively. That does a lot in the long run.”

Paige Bueckers Details Growing Into Leadership

Bueckers said her personal growth was as important as the team’s. She described how she leaned on her faith to maintain perspective and discipline, even when the Wings were mired in losing streaks. For her, the challenge of being consistent — regardless of the record — was a test of leadership as much as skill.

“Just staying steadfast in your faith,” Bueckers said. “Believing and knowing that everything you go through happens for a reason and produces perseverance, resilience, and strength for you to lean back on when times are great. Finding my leadership role and voice as a rookie, wanting to come in and gain everybody’s respect, and then being able to use my voice. Just being disciplined, regardless of results — showing up the same way if we were 34-10 as if we’re 10-34. Remaining in my faith and leaning on the support system around us.”

She explained that her confidence wasn’t instant, but developed steadily as she learned the pace and physicality of the league. The encouragement she received from coaches and teammates helped her understand how to give the team what it needed, and that process, she said, is what she is most proud of.

“Once you get a couple games under your belt, you learn what your team needs from you, how to navigate the pros, the pace, the physicality,” Bueckers explained. “My confidence kept growing throughout the season thanks to teammates and coaches pouring into me. I’m most proud of everything — how we handled adversity, how we stayed together, how we showed resilience and fight. You can’t teach that. We embodied it as a team and coaching staff.”

Head coach Chris Koclanes said those reflections captured the presence Bueckers carried all season. He noted that it wasn’t just what she said, but how she lived it daily that set the tone for the group.

“Just incredible,” Koclanes said. “When that’s your leader, and she not only says it but lives it, it gives me confidence. To have P in the locker room, with everyone else around her, the bonds they’ve built, the consistency they’ve shown — it gives me confidence. The foundation is strong. Say what you want about the wins and losses, but we have a very strong and positive bond among a core of young, talented athletes who will be here for a long time.”

He added that her focus on people over production resonated throughout the locker room.

“Just grateful for the chance to coach her,” Koclanes said. “She’s so special in her care for everyone in the locker room. It’s not about her — she doesn’t care about stats or records, she cares about her teammates and winning. That authenticity is contagious.”

Dallas Wings’ Big-Picture Outlook

Beyond Bueckers’ growth and the team’s resilience, Dallas is positioned for one of the strongest rebuilds in the league. The Wings are projected to have the best odds for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. They also own two first-round picks and two second-round picks in 2027, including selections acquired from Las Vegas and Minnesota.

The Wings’ roster already features young pieces in Bueckers and Maddy Siegrist, along with the rights to Awak Kuier and promising contributors such as James. Combined with the team’s salary flexibility, Dallas has the ability to add multiple lottery-level talents across the next two drafts while preserving the option to pursue trades or free agency.

For Bueckers, the talent and assets around her only reinforce the sense that this year’s adversity was an investment in what comes next.

“I’m most proud of everything — how we handled adversity, how we stayed together, how we showed resilience and fight,” Bueckers said. “You can’t teach that. We embodied it as a team and coaching staff.”

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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‘A Whole Bunch of Potential’: Paige Bueckers Embraces Dallas Wings Rebuild Despite Tough Season

Dallas Wings Build Strength Through Adversity