It’s been less than a month since Paige Bueckers led the UConn Huskies to their 12th national championship, a triumphant end to her collegiate career that cemented her as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Now wearing a Dallas Wings jersey, Bueckers is stepping into the professional spotlight with barely a moment to catch her breath after the March Madness whirlwind.
Much like Caitlin Clark, last year’s rookie sensation, she’s facing the relentless demands placed on both rookies and veterans at this level. Going from college hoops to the WNBA is a whole different animal – think of it like going from high school football to the NFL. The pros bring a new level of physicality, with players who’ve spent years building elite strength and endurance. For Bueckers, it’s a gradual process, but she’s already showing signs of getting the hang of the contact and intensity that define the league.
Bueckers on the WNBA’s Physical Edge
After her first practice with the Wings, Bueckers didn’t hold back when asked about the jump from UConn to the pros. As reporters swarmed the Dallas practice facility, she pointed to physicality as the biggest difference. “The screens I got hit with,” she said with a laugh, “that’s the first thing that made me go, ‘Wow, okay, this isn’t the same.'” She also mentioned the tweaks to the rules – like the defensive and offensive three-second calls – that shake up the flow she knew so well in college. “The speed and how much they let slide in the WNBA,” she explained. It’s a wake-up call many rookies get, and Bueckers is no stranger to it now. She’s bonding with her new teammates, but adjusting to this adult game is her biggest challenge yet.
Take Caitlin Clark, still the reigning Rookie of the Year: She went through the same grind, hitting the weight room daily to bulk up and figure out where to push hardest on the court. Clark got a boost from a nearly month-long All-Star break last season thanks to the Paris Olympics, using the time to recharge and study the game. Her Fever team went from an 11-15 start to a 9-5 finish and clinched a playoff berth – their first since 2016 – with 20 wins, a mark not reached since 2015.
Bueckers won’t get that kind of respite, so her learning curve needs to be sharper. One concern remains, though: given her past injuries, overdoing it in the gym could be risky. Let’s hope she stays healthy and continues to shine.
A Blockbuster 2025 Season Awaits
The 2025 WNBA season is shaping up to be a showstopper, poised to top last year’s record-breaking numbers in attendance, viewership and sheer excitement. Training camps opened on April 27, and Bueckers will make her preseason debut with the Wings on Friday. This year, the league’s expanding 13 teams, including the new Golden State Valkyries, will compete to trim their rosters to 11 or 12 players over the next few weeks. For the first time ever, four preseason games will be televised nationally, and 14 of the 15 will be streamed on WNBA League Pass, a huge win for fans everywhere. On the court, the title is up for grabs.
The New York Liberty, with champions Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu in tow, will be looking for a third straight Finals appearance. The Minnesota Lynx, led by Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier, look to avenge last year’s loss. A’ja Wilson keeps the Las Vegas Aces dangerous, even without Kelsey Plum, who’s teamed up with Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby to help the Los Angeles Sparks snap a four-year playoff drought. Don’t sleep on the Fever, with Clark in her second year, the reloaded Chicago Sky, or the Wings, where Bueckers reunites with Arike Ogunbowale. It’s going to be a season of thrills, packed stands and a championship chase that’s wide open.
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