Barring a crazy series of events, many expect the Dallas Wings to take star UConn guard Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft on April 14.
After all, the 23-year-old senior has a resume that’s second-to-none — one that includes AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, and USBWA National Player of the Year awards, three Big East Player of the Year awards, a John R. Wooden Award, two unanimous first-team All-American honors, three first-team AP and USBWA first-team All-American honors, and three first-team All-Big East selections.
Bueckers also had a big game in UConn’s 91-57 win over South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, logging 34 points, four assists, four steals, and three rebounds in 29 minutes. It was her first 30-point game of the season.
And while there isn’t much for scouts or analysts to rip Bueckers about—in fact, most scouts believe she’s the most complete player in the draft—one anonymous WNBA general manager recently divulged to The Athletic that if she has a weakness, they think they know what it is.
“My only concerns with Paige are physical,” the GM said. “If she can stay healthy, I think she’s an All-Star level talent. She can play with or without the ball which makes her super valuable. She scores at all three levels. She’s big and tall and long enough to survive defensively. I think her offense is better than her defense, but it’s hard to find things not to like about Paige.”
Though she likely won’t have the kind of impact Indiana Fever star and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark had during her first year—Clark broke multiple WNBA, rookie and Fever records and finished fourth in MVP voting—Bueckers is widely regarded as the most pro-ready player coming out of college and will presumably play a big role in the Wings’ rebuild.
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