Wings' Paige Bueckers Reveals Honest Admission After Missed Time

The Dallas Wings stumbled to a 94‑86 defeat at home against the Indiana Fever on Friday. Despite the loss, Paige Bueckers was excellent, pouring in 27 points to go with six assists, two steals and two blocks across 36 minutes of action.

The effort was emblematic of Bueckers’ rookie surge, as she continues to lead all Wings in scoring (18.4 per game), assists (5.8 per game) and steals (1.8 per game) through 18 games. Bueckers has played 13 of the Wings' 18 contests.

Less than 24 hours later, Dallas announced that Bueckers would sit out Saturday’s date with the Washington Mystics, with the team’s official status report listing a "right knee" issue without elaboration. 

It marked the fifth game Bueckers would miss this season due to health-related precautions, following three outings under concussion protocol and one absence for illness.

When asked on Wednesday whether her Saturday absence was "a load management thing," Bueckers was refreshingly candid. 

"Not so much a load management, but just being smart," she told reporters. "I’ve been dealing with patellar tendonitis since I was in high school. ... You’re managing it at all times. There’s no day where it probably doesn’t hurt.

"But to be on the second night of a back‑to‑back where I just played 38 [actually 36] minutes, it usually never feels great the day after the game, but we usually either have an off day or a light practice day to where I can recover. And assuming, again, I would either have to play a lot of minutes or be managed, we thought it was just the smart thing to do."