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Paige Bueckers' Honest Opinion on Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 8:03 AM ET

Paige Bueckers was forced to watch from the sidelines on Saturday night as the Dallas Wings marked just their fifth win of the season with a 79-71 victory against the Washington Mystics.

Bueckers was ruled out for the contest due to a knee injury, which came after the No. 1 overall pick exploded for 27 points in Dallas' 94-86 loss against the Indiana Fever on Friday.

The Fever were still able to win against the Wings despite not having the services of Caitlin Clark, who missed her second straight game due to a groin problem.

After Friday's loss, Bueckers was asked to share her assessment of the Fever and how they were still able to get the win without their best player available. The Wings star shared her honest opinion of Indiana.

"They have great pieces throughout the whole roster," Bueckers said. "... They're a complete team."

Bueckers also heaped praise on Kelsey Mitchell, who stepped up in a major way with Clark sidelined. The two-time All-Star dropped a season-high 32 points to lead Indiana to a much-needed win.

Groin injuries can be tricky, which means that there's no guarantee Clark will be able to play in the Fever's next game. They return to action on Tuesday in a big matchup against the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner's Cup championship game.

There's no denying that the Fever will want to get their cornerstone star back for that one, but as Bueckers pointed out, Indiana is still fully capable of giving the defending champs Lynx a run for their money even with Clark sidelined.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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