The end of the regular season is just around the corner. But teams are still rummaging through their cards as they play the season out to the end. In this case, the Dallas Wings were dealt a bad card when rookie guard JJ Quinerly suffered a season-ending ACL injury. That shift propelled Paige Bueckers even more firmly into the spotlight—as ball handler, playmaker, and scoring engine all at once.
Coach Chris Koclanes didn’t beat around the bush. As reported on X by insider Joey Mistretta, “Quinerly’s injury will lead to Bueckers being on the ball more.” The message was clear: the team must now run through Paige.
Social media lit up. A Reddit thread described it perfectly: “This is where Bueckers grows up fast. No more co-pilot—now she’s flying the plane.” On Twitter, fans recognized her composure amid chaos: “Injury or not, Paige Bueckers remains the pulse of the offense.”
And what offense she’s brought. Just days before the Quinerly news, Paige Bueckers erupted for 44 points—tying the rookie scoring record set by Cynthia Cooper in 1997, and doing so on stunning 17-of-21 shooting. She became the first player ever to score 40+ points at better than 80% efficiency.
That performance was a reminder that stats don’t lie. She had back-to-back 30-point games, tied her franchise for third-most scoring outputs in a single game, and averaged 29 straight double-digit scoring efforts—ranking third all-time among rookies.
Meanwhile, the Wings are drowning in injuries. Nine players—including Myisha Hines-Allen, Tyasha Harris, Li Yueru, and Arike Ogunbowale—have missed multiple games, forcing Bueckers into decision-maker mode night after night.
Injury is part and parcel of the sport, hence teams always keep a reasonable roster to keep things going. But when key players start to give way, some are called to step up.
And now we see Paige Bueckers bringing stability while the team is still rocking from the sidelined players stepping off. Dallas still has some fight left.
What Records Is Paige Bueckers Chasing Next?
Despite a grueling season, Paige Bueckers continued to keep going. She’s tied the WNBA rookie scoring mark, and she’s putting out her most electrifying debut seasons ever.
She’s also one block from tying A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker’s rookie double-digit streaks, and she’s firmly in the Rookie of the Year debate thanks to her 19-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound averages.
What’s next for Paige Bueckers? More scoring milestones, rookie record chase, and maybe leadership roles beyond the court. Even in the Wings’ darkest season, she’s quietly shaping a winning narrative.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
