“We’re All Learning Each Other”: How Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale Are Building Chemistry with the Dallas Wings

The Dallas Wings’ 109–87 win over the Connecticut Sun wasn’t just their first of the season — it marked a key step forward in building the foundation of an evolving offense led by two dynamic guards: rookie Paige Bueckers and All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.

“It felt great,” Bueckers said after Tuesday’s victory. “Just to play like that as a team—and obviously that environment is special to me—but to be able to play like that as a team and put a full 40 minutes together and come out with a win and stay connected throughout the entire game.”

Now five games into her WNBA career, Bueckers is averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.8 steals, shooting 41.7% from the field, 30.8% from three, and 79.2% at the line. Her backcourt partner, reigning All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, is contributing 13.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 made threes per game. While she’s shooting just 30.0% from the field and 25.0% from deep, her 90.0% mark at the line remains elite. Both players are focused on building long-term chemistry, and there’s plenty of room for positive shooting regression as the season progresses.

The performance reflected a step in the right direction in chemistry and continuity for a group still learning one another’s tendencies and roles. Head coach Chris Koclanes has emphasized the importance of “connected offense” from the beginning of training camp. After a stretch of close losses, Dallas finally saw its vision come to life at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“That’s been our theme since training camp: connected offense,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “It’s not about who gets the shot — it’s about the quality of the shot. Can we trust the pass? Can we trust the next action? When we do that, good things happen. Tonight was an example of that coming together.”

Despite facing tough opponents like the Minnesota Lynx twice and the Seattle Storm, Dallas ranks fifth in offensive rating (103.2) through five games. For a team still adapting to new personnel and a new system, the win offered more than just a result — it validated the process. The spacing was sharper, the ball movement more deliberate, and the decision-making increasingly in sync.

Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers Learning Balance

Bueckers’ 21-point, seven-assist performance came on the heels of frequent film sessions and growing on-court synergy with Ogunbowale. Before the game, Bueckers described their partnership as a work in progress — one built on trust, spacing, and shared responsibilities as playmakers. Their development as a tandem has been a focal point during the Wings’ early-season adjustments, with both players learning how to balance scoring with facilitating in a system that emphasizes equal opportunity offense.

“Just watching film together, seeing each other’s tendencies,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Atlanta’s guards were extremely aggressive on defense, pushing catches, making everything difficult. Just trying to get more touches for her early and try to change sides of the floor and get into a rhythm, get out in transition more to get easy buckets, create more spacing so we can all go work.”

Ogunbowale echoed that after the win, pointing to how the team’s trust and communication have improved. She said the group is starting to understand better when to push, when to move the ball, and how to play off one another’s strengths, especially in high-pressure situations where chemistry makes the difference.

“I think she’s just catching the flow of the WNBA. It’s not easy — not easy at all — but she’s learning really fast,” Ogunbowale detailed to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “She’s a mature point guard. She’s getting us together faster, coming up with play calls faster. She’s definitely improving every game.”

While Bueckers led the Wings in scoring in Connecticut, Ogunbowale added 19 points and tied her career high with six steals. She also passed A’ja Wilson for the second-most points through 200 career games. Evidenced by a third-quarter shooting frenzy that included three consecutive made 3-pointers for Ogunbowale, she made an intentional effort to elevate her aggressiveness.

“Just trying to be more aggressive,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com of her third-quarter rhythm. “I don’t think I’ve been as aggressive as I’ve been. I’ve just been trying to get used to the system, trying not to overdo it, and still share the ball. But I definitely had to get back to myself — and I think I did in the second half.”

With so many new faces, Ogunbowale said the team is still striking a balance between picking her spots and being assertive. That includes adjusting to different rhythms and expectations within a new structure.

“We have a lot of great players now,” Ogunbowale explained to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Whereas I might have been able to shoot a bunch before, now we’ve got a lot of great players who can knock down shots, too. So I’m just trying to feel it out, share the ball — and we can all score. I think we showed that today.”

Ogunbowale has shouldered a unique challenge this season — adapting her game within a revamped system while taking on a leadership role for a team undergoing wholesale changes. With a new coaching staff, a restructured roster, and a different offensive philosophy, the early-season adjustment requires patience for even the most seasoned players. For Ogunbowale, that’s meant reestablishing her rhythm.

“It is really hard to learn a new system and play with a whole new team. It’s not like it’s a new coach with the same team — everything’s new,” Ogunbowale broke down for DallasHoopsJournal.com.. “I’m a competitor. You guys know what I do day in and day out. This has definitely been a hard adjustment, but I’ve been giving myself grace, giving the team grace. We know we’re going to stick with it. We have 39 more games. We couldn’t have thought it would just click overnight.”

The spacing piece is something Bueckers has zeroed in on in her first month as a pro. She has consistently emphasized its value both in transition and in the halfcourt, recognizing how floor balance creates better driving angles, cleaner passing windows, and more efficient looks for all five players. As the team continues to refine its offensive identity, Bueckers has taken on a vocal role in helping teammates fill corners, maintain lane discipline, and adjust their positioning based on matchups — all to generate high-quality possessions.

“I think getting into deep corners in our offense, making sure we’re filling the deep corners and the 45s — whether it’s four-out, one-in, or five-out — just making sure we’re getting spaced outside the three-point line, running our lanes in transition,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “I think we tend to stop on the wing instead of getting all the way into the corner. So just creating more driving lanes for us to get into gaps and create offense that way.”

Koclanes praised the balance between Dallas’ guards and the contributions across the roster, noting, “That’s what we’re after: a balance where everyone’s hunting offense and making simple plays.”

The chemistry between Bueckers and Ogunbowale hasn’t materialized overnight. Their prior outing against the Atlanta Dream was a humbling but necessary step in the learning process. Bueckers finished with 11 points and five assists while shooting 4-of-15 overall, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-3 on free throws. Ogunbowale added five points and five assists on 2-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-4 from deep.

The takeaway? A crucial growth moment.

Film, Flow, and Floor Generalship for Paige Bueckers

Koclanes and Bueckers shared a detailed film session on the team bench during shootaround Tuesday morning. That has become a theme, with the two regularly studying film together to fast-track her development as a floor general.

“She’s learning a new system. She’s learning it quick, and it’s that balance exactly right,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “It’s wanting her to be extremely aggressive looking for her own offense, while at the same time finding ways to incorporate everybody. We’re at our best when all five are hunting.”

Koclanes added that the conversations have helped clarify their shared vision — not just in terms of playcalling, but in establishing a clear identity for the team’s offense. Through regular film work and sideline dialogue, Koclanes has emphasized spacing, shot quality, and pace, while Bueckers has embraced the responsibility of executing that vision on the floor.

“The more we watch together, it’s just defining what our floor should look like, what the spacing should look like, and then talking about what good shots are,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “The more we can kind of talk about it and watch it, the more she becomes an extension of our coaching staff on the floor.”

Bueckers echoed that sentiment following the Wings’ Monday practice in Connecticut, where she offered a reflective and detailed response on the point guard adjustment process during her first WNBA road trip. With the team still searching for rhythm and consistency, she took ownership of her role in helping establish the offense’s tempo and structure.

“I can do a better job of getting our team organized, just in transition, and what we want our flow to look like,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Getting into first actions, and if we don’t get something in the first action, creating looks into the second action… We’re all learning and we’re all learning each other’s tendencies—where we like the ball, where to go after a cut, and stuff like that. So I think we’re all learning at this point.

Bueckers went on to describe the broader responsibilities she feels as the floor general, especially in ensuring every teammate stays involved and empowered during a game. Her comments reflected a wider understanding of the position’s demands and her commitment to growth in all aspects.

“The point guard position, you feel like a huge responsibility to the offensive flow. So just continuing to use my voice, connecting with people, seeing where they like it, when they want it, learning how to get people in certain actions when they’re hot, when they haven’t gotten a touch in a while,” Bueckers explained to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “And so I think we’re all trying to get better at that.

“And then just handling the physicality—teams have been very aggressive in off-ball movement, screening movement—have been very disruptive, and try to get you off your track. So all of those things come,” Bueckers explained further.

Against the Sun, Bueckers was not only intentional about calling out sets when initiating the offense and getting teammates involved, but she was also aggressive attacking downhill out of handoffs and pick-and-roll. She was incredibly efficient inside the 3-point line, shooting 8-of-9 on two-point field goals and making 5-of-6 free throws. There was a clear confidence in mid-range areas to get to her spot and pull up for a jumper, while also making the right play on drives. When that mindset generates peak results for Bueckers, Ogunbowale feels it opens up the game for everyone else on the offense.

“When people are knocking down shots, that means defenses pay more attention to them. Then they can swing it, and we’ll knock down shots,” Ogunbowale told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “You can swing it back. When everybody’s a threat, that just opens the floor wide open.”

Bueckers’ ability to score efficiently while maintaining her role as a facilitator created a ripple effect throughout the offense against the Sun. She trusted her teammates on rim rolls, pops, and in transition, but her shot selection and pace helped set the tone, allowing others to play more freely within the flow.

Paige Bueckers is Learning from a Veteran

Among the players Bueckers credits for helping her adjust is veteran point guard Tyasha Harris. The two have shown promise when sharing the floor so far this season, and Bueckers said Harris’ demeanor and experience have made an impact.

“She knows the game. She’s extremely smart, and she’s played the point guard position before in the league,” Bueckers told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “She’s a veteran in that aspect in the way she leads with her voice, getting people where they need to be and getting things under control. She has a calming presence about her, where nothing on the floor can affect her. So she’s been a calming voice for our team.”

That influence extends beyond game nights. Harris has also been an essential voice in point guard meetings, helping Bueckers during the early process of her WNBA acclimation. Her leadership in those settings has helped accelerate Bueckers’ learning curve and strengthened the team’s overall guard play.

Koclanes emphasized Harris’ importance to the Wings’ structure and voice, particularly in helping establish the backcourt, whether she’s playing next to Bueckers or guiding a unit as an initiator.

“She’s been incredibly steady for us,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “She’s got great command of the offense, and she gives us a second voice out there with Paige — a really experienced leader.”

Harris, unfortunately, exited Tuesday’s win in the first half with a left knee injury and did not return. Before tipoff, both Harris and DiJonai Carrington received a tribute video from the Sun, commemorating their time in Connecticut. Harris played for the Sun from 2023 to 2024, while Carrington was drafted by the franchise in 2021 and won Most Improved Player in 2023.

Big Picture Progress for Dallas Wings

After the Wings’ 83–75 loss in Atlanta, which saw the team fall behind by 20 before mounting a fourth-quarter rally, Bueckers emphasized the need to “continue to be disciplined in our habits.” She pointed to defensive intensity, better spacing, and sharper offensive execution as critical areas for improvement. The game served as a progress check, emphasizing the importance of taking early actions, handling physicality, and staying connected on both ends of the floor.

Heading into Connecticut, Bueckers made clear that the team’s mindset had not wavered despite the 0–4 start. She stressed that defense had to set the tone, and that smoother offensive flow would come with reps and trust. Her message was consistent: stay patient, stay aggressive, and lean into the process.

“Get more movement, get out in transition, create more spacing for each other,” Bueckers stated to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “For me, calling more offensive sets, get into a rhythm, we’re all still learning each other… and just sticking to our process.”

Koclanes said the win in Connecticut felt like a well-earned result for a team that had done many things right in the previous losses.

“More than anything, I just felt a sigh of relief for them,” Koclanes said. “It’s frustrating when you’re doing a lot of good things but can’t get over the hump. Now we can put that behind us and continue to focus on the big picture of what we’re trying to do.”

It’s still a growing process, but Tuesday’s win gives reason for confidence and optimism as the Wings look to build momentum. Dallas will look to carry that progress into Thursday’s matchup against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.

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