Paige Bueckers is the real deal

Despite only being in the WNBA for just over two months, Dallas Wings star point guard Paige Bueckers is already the most important player of the franchise and one of the top 5 biggest stars in the WNBA today.

For proof all one must do is watch pregame introductions. In a recent matchup against the Indiana Fever in front of the biggest crowd to ever watch a WNBA regular season game, Bueckers received the loudest ovation in pregame introductions despite not getting called out last and sharing the court with perennial all-stars Arike Ogunbowale, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell.

On the court, despite a slow start to her career, Bueckers is starting to get her footing and if her recent stretch is any indicator, the WNBA better get ready because she’s starting to live up to the hype. Bueckers is averaging 19.5 points, five assists and 3.2 rebounds per game over her last seven games while leading the Wings to three of their five wins on the season.

Currently, Bueckers is the lone rookie with a points-assists double-double this season and she finished the month of June averaging 21.6 points per game to ranked third among all WNBA players, highlight by a career high 35-point outing at Phoenix on June 11. On the season, Bueckers, leads all rookies in scoring (18.4), assists (5.8) and steals (1.85), while ranking fourth in rebounds (4.4) and blocks (0.92).

The ultimate validation that the Paige express train is heading in the right direction came on Monday when Bueckers was announced as an All-star starter.

Bueckers now joins an exclusive club consisting of Caitlin Clark (2024), Aliyah Boston (2023), Shoni Schimmel (2014), Elena Delle Donne (2013), Brittney Griner (2013), Maya Moore (2011), Sue Bird (2002), Tamika Catchings (2002) and Chamique Holdsclaw (1999) as the only rookies to have been selected to start a WNBA All-Star Game. The names of the 12 reserves will be revealed across WNBA social and digital platforms on Sunday, July 6 at noon ET.

Despite the fact Bueckers has missed five-games due to injury and the Wings own the worst record in the league, Bueckers rookie year is going the right direction and she’s already shown she’s the real deal. Now she must figure out how to consistently take over games late and find a way to win more games for the Wings if she’s going to fully prove she’s worth all the hype she has gotten since her freshman season at UCONN.

In the meantime, barring injury Bueckers is poised to win the Rookie of the Year award and be an All-WNBA performer just five months after closing her historic collegiate career.