There was much anticipation to see rookie phenom Paige Bueckers make her WNBA debut. She was the first one on the board with an offensive rebound, then she scored the first two points for Dallas. She finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. The volume of the crowd went up a notch every time she touched the ball.
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Unfortunately for Bueckers, she began her professional career with a loss. Dallas had no answer for Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier or guard Courtney Williams, who put up 34 and 25 points, respectively. The Wings seemed to be in sync in the first half, knotting things up at 46. In the second half, there were some defensive breakdowns, and the Lynx ran away with the game in the 99-84 outcome.
While Dallas could not come away with a win, Bueckers thought the fans were great and helped them shift momentum at times when they went on runs.
“They tried to help us stay encouraged and motivated when we needed some of that as well, but it was a great turnout, and it was great to play in front of them,” Bueckers said.
It was a vibrant and loud crowd from the opening tip until the final buzzer. One impressive moment was the halftime show with speed painter Annika Wooton. The crowd waited anxiously as she went to work on the canvas, trying to figure out exactly what or who she was painting. The fans roared when they realized it was Bueckers.
The foundation is officially laid
Now that her first WNBA game is in the books, Buckers and the Wings have something they can learn from to help them be successful going forward. Bueckers said now there are no more questions about what her first WNBA game is going to be like.
“Now we can move past that, but this is a long season, a lot of games [and] to get the first one under means that we got a lot more left to go,” Bueckers said.
First-year head coach Chris Koclanes said the team looked a little fatigued, and when the slippage continued, they couldn’t recover from it.
“It’s a growth opportunity. It’s a learning moment and for all of us, for the combinations for who’s out there; it’s one game at a time [and] it’ll improve,” Koclanes said.
Making the adjustments
Speed and physicality are two of the biggest differences between collegiate and professional basketball. Like with most rookies, it is going to take time for Bueckers to adjust to those differences. She said the physicality is leveled up a notch from college.
“Just the size at positions, I would say, is a little bit different. The fours are a lot bigger than the fours I’ve had to guard in college,” Bueckers said.
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She will be tested early on. Four of the next five games for Dallas will be played on the road. One of which is another matchup against the Lynx on May 21. Another large turnout can be expected at this game as Bueckers is from Minnesota.
It is a quick turnaround to make the necessary adjustments to get a win against a team that was competing in the finals last season. The matchup is something that Koclanes is looking forward to. He continued to reiterate how the team is going to learn and get better from its first loss.
“Ultimately, I am just encouraged. I like our group of players, I love our staff, I like our camaraderie and just our general demeanor and work ethic,” Koclanes said. “So, I’m just encouraged that this group is going to learn and continue to improve and improve.”
Growing pains are to be expected from the team and Bueckers as they try to navigate how to play together while having to face teams that already have an established core, like Minnesota does. It is only a matter of time before they figure it out, but it still will have to be as quickly as possible.
