Aug 2, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve looks on in the third quarter of their game against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Cheryl Reeve Gets Honest About Paige Bueckers' WNBA Rookie Season

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 8:11 PM ET

With their 96-71 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on September 1, the Dallas Wings are now 9-32 on the 2024 WNBA regular season, have lost eight straight games, and have come up short in 13 of their past 14 contests.

While there was some hope that Chris Koclanes' squad would continue to improve as the season progressed after starting the year 1-11, that hasn't been the case. However, it's worth noting that star guard Arike Ogunbowale has had an uncharacteristic down year (her points per game are over 3 points less than any other season in her WNBA career), the team traded away veteran pieces NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington, and Dallas has dealt with an absurd amount of injuries.

If there's any good news for the Wings' franchise, it's that rookie Paige Bueckers has been everything they were hoping for and then some when they drafted her with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Cheryl Reeve Speaks About Paige Bueckers After Wings vs. Lynx Game

Bueckers finished Monday's game with 17 points in 29 minutes. Lynx legendary head coach Cheryl Reeve spoke with the media after the game and shared some kind words about Bueckers, in what will be the last time they play each other in Bueckers' rookie season.

“She’s very much improved from the first time we saw her in terms of how she gets her scoring attempts,” Reeve said, per a September 1 article from Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “She learned how much the team needs her to take shots. It’s almost like [Napheesa Collier] in 2023 when we were like, ‘You’re gonna have to take 20 shots and you gotta figure out how to get ’em off.’”

Reeve later added, “[Bueckers has] gotten really shifty, getting defenders up and getting to her sweet spot. It’s not just make one move, you stop her. She’s terrific in that space.”

Cheryl Reeve on Paige Bueckers: “She’s very much improved … she’s gotten really shifty, getting defenders up and getting to her sweet spot.”

Bueckers scored 17 points vs. Minnesota, moving to No. 6 on the WNBA’s all-time rookie scoring list.

Read more: https://t.co/ZBwgflZIEW
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 2, 2025

Given that Bueckers is from Minnesota, hearing Reeve praise her in this way must mean a lot. And it speaks volumes about how highly Reeve views her, considering that she doesn't go out of her way to share kind words about many WNBA superstars.

While this season has been a disappointment for Dallas, they now have the best chances of securing the No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, which should mean they can get another great piece to pair with Bueckers.

Will they decide to select Azzi Fudd with that pick? Only time will tell.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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