For years, fans waited for this moment. From the days she lit up high school gyms in Minnesota to dominating college courts with UConn, Paige Bueckers seemed destined for WNBA greatness. On Friday night, that journey officially began. But her welcome to the league? Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.

In her first preseason game with the Dallas Wings, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft faced off against none other than the former WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces. Guess what? They wasted no time reminding her what the pros are all about. The Wings were handed a tough 112–78 loss at Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana.

It was a harsh introduction, but Bueckers handled it with the same composure that’s defined her career. “It was super surreal in terms of the turnaround from where I was two weeks ago to where I am today, but I am just soaking it up and enjoying every moment,” Bueckers said. “I’m getting used to new routines, traditions, new teammates, new organization.

 

Even with the blowout, Bueckers showed flashes of why she’s been hyped for so long. In 22 minutes, she scored 10 points on an efficient 4-for-7 shooting, knocked down two of her three attempts from beyond the arc, and added four rebounds and an assist. You might be thinking, ‘Mere 10 points in the first game, how’s this amazing?’ But considering the rookie has just entered the floor, it was a good beginning to the preseason game. She got off to a solid start, scoring four points in the first quarter as Dallas actually led 25–23 after 10 minutes. But the second quarter was a different story as the Aces built a 55-36 lead.

However, the third quarter brought a mini-breakthrough. Bueckers hit both of her three-point attempts, adding six points, an assist, and another rebound. Her confidence was showing, even against one of the most stacked rosters in the league. Still, the Aces kept piling it on and built an 87–63 lead by the end of the third. Bueckers, along with most starters, sat out the fourth.

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It is the first game of the season, the first game with us all playing with each other so we are learning every single possession,” Bueckers reflected. And she learned not just from her teammates but even from the opponent, which had four starters finish in double figures. And who better to face in your first WNBA game than A’ja Wilson, the reigning MVP and arguably one of the faces of the league? Just a day before tip-off, Bueckers had praised Wilson, calling her “one of the best players in the league… so skilled… she’s a problem.” On Friday, Wilson proved every word true. She backed Jackie Young’s 28-point night with her 19-point and seven-rebound effort.

As for Bueckers herself, she is in a promising situation. The Wings may have finished 9–31 last season, but the way she adapted to the physicality in just her first game and logged a team-high 22 minutes is really something. Not to forget that she barely had any time to prepare after her college run. The only way from here is upwards, as she even recognized some aspects to polish for the next game. When asked what stood out the most, she said, “Definitely fighting over screens…They’re a lot bigger. They’re a lot more physical. So screen navigation was definitely something that was different than college.”

The next stop on her preseason tour? A matchup on May 11 against Japan’s Toyota Antelopes. Then, the real test begins—the regular season opener on May 17 against the Minnesota Lynx, in front of the home crowd in Arlington, Texas. And guess what? Bueckers isn’t demotivated by her first game. “I’m excited to play basketball again with this new group and grow and get better every single day,” she added.

And honestly, it all made sense. Sure, there were plenty of expectations surrounding Paige Bueckers—especially since she’s stepping onto the pro stage just a year after Caitlin Clark shook up the entire basketball world. But for Bueckers, that first matchup wasn’t about putting on a show. It was part of the learning curve.

She wasn’t out there trying to chase numbers. And there was a real reason behind the modest scoring night.

Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings are together navigating through new beginnings.

For Paige Bueckers, the struggles in her first game weren’t necessarily due to the weight of expectations, but rather the lack of preparation and the challenge of adjusting to new dynamics. As she candidly admitted, “Honestly, there was not a lot of time to prepare.”

Given that it was her first exhibition game after just five days of training camp, it makes sense that the transition would be tough. Bueckers relied on the skills and mindset that got her to this point, while also focusing on staying physically conditioned. She knew that balancing rest with preparation is key in the demanding professional level.

“It’s about leaning on what has gotten me here,” she said, “and continuing to build off that to get ready for the physical level of play.”

The challenge isn’t unique to Bueckers alone. It’s clear that the entire Dallas Wings team is in the process of figuring things out. With the team coming off a rough season (a 9-31 record, the second worst in the league), and with only three players returning from the previous year, there’s a lot of ground to cover. This means that it’s not just Bueckers, but the entire squad, who are learning to adapt to a new coach, new teammates, and new systems.

Coach Chris Koclanes echoed this sense of patience, saying, “You try to prepare and teach and put her in positions to be able to find success, and then you have to let her go and let her live and experience it. It’s a balance just figuring out what that ultimately looks like.”

This makes sense, especially when you consider Koclanes’ pre-game thoughts. He knew this would be a feeling-out process for everyone, not just for the players getting used to each other, but for him also as a first-year coach figuring out how to bring the best out of his team. Bueckers will undoubtedly have to learn new concepts, terminology, and how to mesh with her new teammates.

In the end, it’s clear that this is going to be a gradual process, and Bueckers, like the rest of the team, is still in the early stages of finding her rhythm. And as Koclanes pointed out, this season is about growing and learning together, one step at a time.