There are a number of outstanding aspects of Paige Bueckers’s game that made her the WNBA No. 1 pick this year, but her maturity might be one of her more undervalued qualities.
Coming back after missing four games due to a concussion and illness, Bueckers recorded her best game as a pro so far, scoring a career-high 35 points with six rebounds and four assists while shooting 68% from the field. Despite a career performance, the Wings lost 93-80 to the Phoenix Mercury and dropped to 1-10 on the season.
After the loss, Bueckers talked about how in spite of the challenges Dallas has faced this season, she's trusting the work and taking the long-view on how she can best help the Wings get to where they want to be.
"It's challenging but very rewarding in a sense of you being super process-oriented and not result-oriented," Bueckers said, via Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints. "How we want to have a set of standards, build a culture and have a way we do things and stick to that regardless of wins or losses ... Then the results will follow and will come as we continue to stay disciplined in who we are every single day.
"Just trying to lead by example, lead with my voice and just have difficult conversations," she continued. "Get to know these people on and off the court and continue to build that chemistry... Just like anything in life, it's a journey."
Bueckers came to the WNBA after spending her career at UConn, where she played for the most successful women's college basketball program in history and won a national championship in her final year as a Huskie. Now, she's in a new territory on a struggling team that has a lot of building to do before they become contenders. With Bueckers's talent, leadership, and maturity though, the future remains bright for the Wings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Had Thoughtful Response About Leading Struggling Wings As a Rookie.