Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Three takeaways from WNBA opening night: How Paige Bueckers' debut got spoiled

By Andrew Wright | Last updated May 17, 2025 12:26 AM ET

The WNBA season officially tipped off Friday night with three games across the league.

It most notably marked the professional debut of former UConn star Paige Bueckers, who we'll get to in a moment.

Here are three takeaways from opening night.

Growing pains for Bueckers

Bueckers' professional debut for the Wings did not go quite as well as she and Dallas fans hoped it would. She scored 10 points on just 3-of-10 shooting and had seven rebounds and two assists.

Bueckers is well aware that it will take some time adjusting from the collegiate level — where she dominated her whole career — to the professional level when most of her competition is on the same level.

“The first one’s always the hardest,” Bueckers said. “Not to say that it won’t get harder, but just being able to have a starting point ... and then continue to build off that," per Myah Taylor of the Dallas Morning News.

That didn’t take long ‍ Paige Bueckers’ first WNBA bucket is in the books!

WNBA Tip-Off presented by @CarMax | ION pic.twitter.com/kZieYTWi4Y
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 16, 2025

Scoring was above average

The average point total for teams in the 2024 regular season was 81.7, and five of the six teams in action on Friday went above that number.

The Minnesota Lynx, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream all reached 90-plus points.

Washington's 94 points on Friday night would've been its second most all of last season, and Atlanta's 90 points would've been its fourth most in a game last season.

Kelsey Plum is on a mission

In one of the most shocking WNBA moves in recent memory, Plum was traded from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks.

It's safe to say that Plum took that personally, as she was easily the best player on the court in the Sparks' 84-67 win against the Golden State Valkyries.

She scored 37 points on 11-of-19 (4-of-6 3PT) shooting as well as dishing out six assists. She became the first player to ever score 35-plus points, dish out five-plus assists and collect five-plus steals in WNBA history.

The 37 points are more than Plum scored in any game last season, and it is clear she is out to prove that she is still among the game's best players.

37 PTS FOR KELSEY PLUM ‍

WNBA Tip-Off presented by @CarMax pic.twitter.com/lqbD03N3KB
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2025

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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