Sue Bird Double-Checks Diana Taurasi’s Bold Words on Paige Bueckers

At the end of May, Taurasi joined The Athletic's "No Offseason" podcast to discuss various topics. Speaking on her advice to Bueckers as she lost two games to start her career, Taurasi broke down the challenges she'll have to go through to adjust.

"With the WNBA and other platforms, as I’ve said before, it’s a different beast, and there are different challenges you face as an individual and as a team

"Obviously, when you get drafted No. 1 overall, you’re usually going to a team that’s rebuilding and starting to try something new. There is a lot of challenges when you get to a team and a franchise that’s rebuilding, and you have to change your outlook on wins and losses.

"You take the wins as far as getting better every single game, and as you can tell already, Paige was a different player from Game 1 to Game 2. And from Game 2 to Game 10, she’s going to be a different player. That goes for their team, as well as they learn from each other on the court and off the court.

More than that, she went on to say that Bueckers will eventually be the top player in the W. 

"And the one thing I know about Paige is she’s so grounded, so patient, and she’s so prepared. She’s learned that in the last four or five years, and all those things that she learned at Connecticut are going to change the way you look at that team. One day, she’s going to end up being the best player in the league for sure."

Bird joined the same show on Tuesday, looking surprised by her former college teammate's statement on the Wings rookie. When asked about her thoughts on Bueckers, Bird questioned how Taurasi got to that conclusion, but still gave her flowers to the guard.

"I certainly think Paige has the skillset to be one of the top players, for sure," Bird said. "Best in what year? Doesn't even matter. Everyone's gonna have their preference. I think the thing that separates Paige is her efficiency. You saw it in college and you're seeing it now in the WNBA. It's something that's maintained, so you know it's real, no matter who the competition is. 

The four-time WNBA champion added that Bueckers is in a good situation to shine, but she doesn't see Taurasi's vision coming to reality soon. 

"This is the kind of league, when you're efficient and you're on a team where you're gonna get looks, it's gonna take you a long way. ...I was in Seattle when they played the Wings, so I was bummed I couldn't see her play. But yeah, I guess I'll let D live on that limb by herself for now."

The Dallas Wings are going through a rough patch at the moment after going through a roster overhaul during the summer. The star trio of Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington haven't delivered as expected, but it might not take long before the rookie gets the hang of the league and starts collecting wins.