Paige Bueckers scouting report: Why Dallas Wings must draft once in a generation player  

Since the second she stepped on the court for UConn as a freshman, Paige Bueckers has been one of college basketball’s best players. Despite some serious injury struggles, Buckers continued to grow. Entering her final year of college basketball, she’s snatched the throne as the country’s best player.

Her dominance is obvious regardless of the angle one takes. She’s averaging 22 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game on a ridiculous 72.6% true shooting mark through her first six games of the season. She ranks 11th in the country in points per game on by far the highest efficiency. Among the top 50 scorers in the country, only Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers has been more efficient (19.7 points per game on 73.4% true shooting).

Box plus-minus views Bueckers as a transcendent star. She’s currently sitting at an absurd 24.7 BPM which would be the highest single-season mark since 2021. This season, the gap between Bueckers and the second highest BPM — her teammate Sarah Strong at 20.2 — is the same number as the space between second and 14th place Rayah Marshall of USC (15.7).

This shouldn’t necessarily be shocking, as scouts have viewed Bueckers as a historic talent for years now. It would be shocking, however, if Bueckers doesn’t end up as Dallas’s selection with the top pick in 2025. She’s a true offensive engine, ready-made to impact winning the second she steps into the WNBA.

Paige Bueckers is a one-of-one scoring savant

Bueckers’s elite scoring profile fuels her engine status, especially as a shooter. Her career shooting numbers are absurd — 40.2% on 8.2 3-point attempts per 100 possession (100/249), 81.4% from the line, and 50.6% far 2-pointers (175/346).

Floor spacing is critical in the modern game of basketball and Bueckers brings it in every way possible. Off of the ball, she’ll space from well beyond the line, shooting from range off of movement and off of the catch. She’ll pull from off of the dribble as well, using her height and quick release to shoot over defenders.

As per usual, Bueckers is flamethrowing from the mid-range. This is where her touch can shine brightest, as she hits some ridiculously difficult shots in the intermediate. Her comfort scoring from this area of the floor is rare among young ballhandlers. She’s shooting 57.9% (11/19) on mid-range pullups this year after shooting 46.8% all of last season.

She’s much more than just a shooter, as Bueckers has the burst, handling skill, and strength to pressure the rim and score on the interior. Bueckers has finished 87% of her shots at the hoop this season (20/23). She’s been an excellent finisher for years, converting 75.8% of her rim attempts (144/190) across her college career.

Bueckers boasts the first step and handling skill to beat defenders off of the dribble, especially with a ball screen. Even when Bueckers can’t win downhill cleanly, she has the strength and touch to finish in traffic.

Despite her elite creation toolkit, Bueckers’ willingness and ability to play off of the ball enables her stellar efficiency. Many young stars are reluctant to move, screen and cut without the ball and simply call for the rock when they don’t have it. This isn’t the case with Bueckers, who loves to slip behind defenders for easy layups and threes.

According to Synergy, Bueckers spends 49.8% of her possessions in off-ball play types — cuts, handoffs, spot-ups and off-screens. UConn’s scheme and supporting talent help her flourish in this role. Her gravity as a scorer often opens up easier shots for her teammates when defenders send multiple bodies at her.

Bueckers is poised beyond her years against defensive pressure, showing up, especially in her playmaking. She’s passing at an unreal clip to begin the season, headlined by a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and a 28.7% assist rate. Despite commanding the ball often, Bueckers makes excellent decisions and rarely turns the ball over.

She’s a pick-and-roll maestro, comfortable seeing and making every read whether that’s skip passing or interior passing. When Bueckers slides off the ball, she’s an excellent connective passer on kick-outs to shooters and lasers to the interior. This playmaking helps her fit in any offensive role, capable of running the offense and maintaining advantages off of the ball.

Paige Bueckers has more weapons than just her offense

Adding onto her offensive stardom, Bueckers is a stalwart on the defensive end. She’s swiping handlers at a career rate, posting a 4.9% steal rate to begin this season. Bueckers has always created turnovers at a high level, notching a 4.0% block rate and a 3.6% steal rate throughout her college career.

Bueckers’ elite feel for the game and instincts allow her to wreck offensive game plans as an off-ball defender. She reeds the game at lightning pace, anticipating actions for steals, blocks and deflections. Bueckers slides well on the ball, sticking over screens and handoffs to generate steals and transition chances.

It’s challenging to poke holes in Bueckers’ profile. She doesn’t get to the free-throw line much, as her 21.7% free-throw rate this season is quite low. Her rebounding is just solid rather than a huge benefit. But these are nitpicks and Bueckers has fewer weaknesses than almost any prospect I’ve ever scouted.

Other prospects like USC’s Kiki Iriafen and French center Dominique Malonga both could develop into WNBA stars. However, neither boasts the floor and ceiling Paige Bueckers does. Her ability to create shots at the highest level will help her become a megastar and her off-ball game, shooting and defense will help her scale next to other elite talents.

Bueckers’ start to the season suggests she’ll have one of the better seasons in recent college basketball history. She’s a singular talent with the potential to transform the WNBA’s landscape in the coming years. Unless something drastic happens, she’ll spend the beginning of her career at the very least in Dallas, hoping to bring the Wings championship glory.