Many athletes agree that one of the biggest challenges when moving from college to the pros is adjusting to the heightened physicality, and Paige Bueckers is no exception. Just a week into her WNBA journey, the former UConn standout reflected on her swift transition and how her skills might carry over into the league.
“To think about, like, three weeks ago, or, a month ago now that we were playing the national title at UConn, and now we’re here in the WNBA and we’re playing the first preseason game,” Bueckers said. “It’s just been a whirlwind.”
Paige Bueckers at Media Day…#WNBA pic.twitter.com/dHSW2vnaPX
— The Wings Bulletin (@WingsBulletin) May 7, 2025
At the Dallas Wings’ media day on Wednesday, all eyes were on the No. 1 overall draft pick. During her press conference, Bueckers spoke about entering the WNBA shortly after leading UConn to a national championship. The event came just five days after she made her preseason debut, where she scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting—including two from beyond the arc—and added four rebounds, though Dallas was soundly defeated by the Las Vegas Aces, 112-78.
“I’ve kind of always been finesse, weed my way through traffic, not necessarily avoiding contact, but being smart about when to take it and when to want to pull up,” Bueckers said. “I usually don’t like to over-penetrate and make things tougher at the rim, but offensively, defensively, they let more physicality go. You can get away with more.
“And so, to know that, know the balance of not wanting to be too physical, especially coming off of a long season and drain my body, but also be willing to embrace the contact on both sides of the floor and use that to your advantage.”
Commenting on the jump in intensity, Bueckers addressed how her playing style can adapt to the physical nature of the WNBA. Despite being new to the league, she’s ready to take on a leadership role with the Wings, drawing on her experience as a senior at UConn. She shared a meaningful sentiment, saying, “One of the best days in my life was the first day I was a big sister.”
“Just being a role model, being somebody they can look up to, just being a voice, just whenever they need me,” she added. “I know how important it is to have a person you can vent to, go to for advice. Just for them to be able to look up to the big, big sister and want to fill those shoes.
“And it doesn’t even mean basketball-wise, but who I am as a person, it means everything to me, and it just makes your interactions with kids a little bit special, because you know how much it can impact them.”
Dallas has one final preseason game against Japan’s Toyota Antelopes on May 10 before opening the regular season at home versus the Minnesota Lynx on May 16.
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