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The Dallas Wings have the first pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft and are anticipated to select UConn's Paige Bueckers. Bueckers is coming off a historic season in college, leading the Connecticut Huskies to the NCAA Championship over the South Carolina Gamecocks.
She made 123 appearances for UConn, recording 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Coming into the league, Bueckers is one of the most hyped prospects and is expected to achieve great things.
However, she and the Wings won’t get anywhere without tackling some early challenges that are sure to come their way. Let’s look at five early challenges for Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA season.
5 early challenges for Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA season
1) Getting Bueckers adjusted to the WNBA's physicality
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Paige Bueckers has already had to deal with some major injuries in her young career. She tore her ACL ahead of her junior year in college and missed the entire season. Luckily, Bueckers was able to find her mojo despite facing such a major setback.
She might be healthier now, but if Bueckers got injured in college, things might get worse in the WNBA due to the increased intensity and physicality of the league. As such, the Wings will need to do a solid job with her conditioning to ensure Bueckers is ready to handle the league’s physicality.
2) Chemistry between the guards
The Dallas Wings already have one star player in Arike Ogunbowale, who plays as a guard. With Paige Bueckers coming in, the Wings have a shot at forming a formidable backcourt duo. They have lost a lot of quality in their frontcourt after Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally left this offseason.
So, ensuring that Ogunbowale and Bueckers operate on the same frequency and have good chemistry will help the team overcome one obstacle. If Ogunbowale and Bueckers click, the Wings can focus on developing and getting new pieces for their frontcourt.
3) Integrating Bueckers next to Arike Ogunbowale on the court
Arike Ogunbowale got the most touches on the Wings last season. She played 38 games and recorded 22.2 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. The 28-year-old seems to be entering her prime, which is a positive sign as the Wings have high hopes for the 2025 WNBA season.
When they draft Paige Buckers, Dallas will have to make many adjustments. They’ll need to figure out how many touches Bueckers gets and how many shots she gets to take without hindering Ogunbowale’s performance. This will perhaps be the most difficult early obstacle that the team will face. Striking a balance between Ogunbowale and Bueckers’ touches could be the key to their success.
4) A tough schedule to begin the season
The Dallas Wings will play some difficult games to start off the 2025 WNBA season. During their first 10 games, they’ll face the Minnesota Lynx thrice, Seattle Storm twice, Atlanta Dream once, Chicago Sky twice, and the Los Angeles Sparks. All of these teams look strong heading into the new season.
So, the Wings must ensure that they can get out of their opening games with at least a .500 record. If not, Bueckers and Co. may lose motivation early into their campaign.
5) Pressure on Paige Bueckers
Paige Bueckers is set to arrive in the league as one of the highest-rated prospects out of college. As such, the expectations placed on her are already huge. If she is drafted by the Wings, the expectations are likely to grow, which could lead to more pressure on the 23-year-old.
The Wings must avoid placing any extra pressure on Bueckers. She will already be fighting a battle to prove herself in the league and doesn’t need the added pressure from the team's end.
