Paige Bueckers has finally fulfilled her destiny. Touted to be the first pick in the draft for about 6 years now, the road has been far from smooth. “It was a journey of resilience, of overcoming adversity,” Bueckers shared. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world just because it became such a beautiful story and remarkable journey of ups and downs, highs and lows of keeping the faith, of working extremely hard.” Originally a member of the Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese class, misfortune with injuries might have delayed Paige’s arrival to the WNBA. However, she’s finally here, and the league fandom continues to buzz with certain analysts expecting an immediate impact from the former Wooden Award winner.

While the expectations wouldn’t be unfair given Paige’s pedigree, Rachel DeMita pointed out on her podcast “Courtside Club” the disparity in narrative when compared to last year’s draft when Clark was set to enter the league. Referencing an article from Kevin Pelton of ESPN, Rachel said, “With Paige, I feel like there hasn’t been so many comparisons or worries about her going to the WNBA and I’m not necessarily sure why that is, I don’t know if the expectations for Paige aren’t as high as they were for Caitlin. Well, she clearly doesn’t have as many haters as Caitlin Clark did or does.” While she mentions it could simply be due to the mammoth expectations placed on Clark last year and Paige’s burden being lighter, she believes it is a result of the anti-Clark sentiment that has settled in the league.

“I feel like these types of article, think pieces and just people in the media talking about it was so much more prevalent last season when Caitlin Clark was going to the WNBA,” the national analyst said. “So many reporters, media personalities, coaches, players who were saying Caitlin Clark’s game would not translate to the WNBA.” While Paige has been a superstar wherever she’s set foot, Rachel rightly mentions the pressure that comes with putting rookies on a pedestal, highlighting the differences in the college careers the two experienced. While Caitlin Clark led an Iowa team to the Final Four without a single five-star recruit on her team, Paige has been surrounded by top recruits throughout her college career at UConn, where the emphasis lies on sharing the ball. So while Paige was more of a passive scorer at UConn, CC was a ball-dominant guard who could shoot off the dribble and catch, which made for an easier transition to the pace of the WNBA.

Clark and the Indiana Fever started last season on a disappointing note as they went 3-10 in their first 13 games. Caitlin’s arrival in the league was met with hostility from the opposing sides, making it difficult for her to settle into the league. One such incident was instigated by Chicago Sky star Chennedy Carter, when she threw a shoulder into Clark and knocked her to the ground, with Reese applauding from the sidelines. While the foul was later upgraded to Flagrant 1 as well, many believed the hostility wasn’t unprecedented as an increased level of physicality is often the treatment served to rookies in the league, in an attempt to knock them off their game.

“We understand who kind of the head of the monster is on that team,” New York veteran guard Sabrina Ionescu said of Clark. “We are trying to just make everything tough and difficult.” Understanding the challenge, Caitlin would turn it around after the WNBA’s Olympic break, averaging 23.1 PPG and 8.9 APG per game in that span to place herself in the top 5 of the MVP race and secure the first Fever trip to the Playoffs, in almost a decade.

Is the Bueckers hype justified?

Granted, Clark’s performances at Iowa, especially her shooting from deep, was unprecedented in college basketball. But Paige wasn’t far behind either. During their college careers, Clark might have had the more dominant offensive output. but numbers reveal that Paige’s potential probably hasn’t been maximized yet. Surrounded by highly sought-after recruits in Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, Bueckers’ highest usage rate at UConn was 29%, whereas Clark was at 36.5% or higher all four years of her college career. This ought to explain Paige’s 19.9 PPG as a senior.

However, whenever Geno Auriemma’s team needed someone to take over, Paige would seldom disappoint. Her performances in the NCAA Tournament further proved this; She scored 34 against South Dakota in the second round to set a new career high, which she went on to break in the very next round against the Sooners, dropping a 40-point performance.

Furthering the case for Bueckers’ transition to the WNBA is her unmatched efficiency. Paige posted a .628 true shooting percentage (TS%), which measures the shooting percentage necessary on exclusively 2-point attempts to match the total points scored, including 3s and free throws, and was never below .600. Among guards drafted with the top pick in the past two decades, only Kelsey Plum’s senior season at Washington (.657 TS%) has been more efficient than Bueckers’ best seasons. Before that, it’s back to UConn’s 2001-02 title team, when Taurasi and Sue Bird were more efficient than Bueckers. Bird was also playing the role of an orchestrator, maybe a bit more than Bueckers. However, she displayed the same ability to obliterate the defense when required, making for a proud comparison for the Minnesota native.

While it is abundantly clear that Paige by no means lacks the tools to make an instant impact, the track record of Wings executive vice president and GM Curt Miller causes further excitement for the Wings’ fans. As the Sparks’ head coach last season, Miller called for the second-most on-ball screens per game in the WNBA, according to Second Spectrum. With new head coach Chris Koclanes at the helm, his 5 year tenure as Miller’s assistant for the Connecticut Sun could mean they’ll heavily rely on pick-and-roll scenarios where Paige prospered in her senior year.

The Caitlin Clark comparisons aren’t dying down anytime soon, but Paige must stay uber focused on her development in the league as teams could put her on the end of similar physicality to get the better of her. And while she must take her own path, Diana Taurasi’s advice to Clark last year might just serve Paige well.

“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said when asked what the league has in store for Caitlin. “We all went through it. That happens on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” As arguments continue to boil over the expectations surrounding Paige, the answer will arrive on the 17th of May, when the Wings host Minnesota Lynx for their season opener.