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Paige Bueckers Made Noticeable Wings Change Since Concussion

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 9:07 PM ET

For Paige Bueckers, there’s little doubt that two weeks away from the game made a considerable difference. Bueckers first went out after suffering a concussion against the Sky on May 29, and after missing three games, she missed another with an illness, sitting out a total of four games here in the early season. Dallas lost all four games with Bueckers out and in the final game she missed, June 8 vs. Minnesota, the Wings scored just 65 points.

Somewhere along the way, it seems, Bueckers had a revelation. The Wings were a struggling offensive unit, with an offensive rating of 96.2, one of the worst in the WNBA in those four games without her.

Since coming back, Bueckers has seemed to understand that the Wings need her not just to be an important cog offensively, but to be a dominant one. She has had to play more like a No. 1 overall pick.

Wings coach Chris Koclanes said before the Wings’ game in Connecticut on Friday that the change has been noticeable. "Just her aggressiveness and her offense to want to command out there and off the floor as well. Just really everyday watching her coming into her own more and more with her comfortability with her teammates," he said.

The numbers have been obvious. In six games before the injury, Bueckers averaged 14.7 points on 43.7% shooting and 33.3% 3-point shooting. Since the injury, in three games, Bueckers is averaging 23.7 points on 51.8% shooting and 35.7% 3-point shooting.

Chris Koclanes on what he has seen from Paige Bueckers since she returned from injury/illness: "Just her aggressiveness and her offense to want to command out there and off the floor as well. Just really everyday watching her coming into her own more and more with her…
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) June 20, 2025

Maybe most important, as Koclanes said, is the aggressiveness she is showing. Bueckers was deferring more to start the year, and averaged 11.8 shots. But since coming back, she is averaging 18.7 shots per game.

Bueckers was back in familiar surroundings on Friday, playing in Connecticut—where she notched her first 20-point game as a pro—for the second time.

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

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