After being drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings, Paige Bueckers is already being called a franchise player. Some fans are even comparing her to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Bueckers came into the WNBA as one of the most hyped prospects in the draft. She averaged 19.8 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 53.1% from the field during her senior season at UConn. However, are the comparisons to Clark justified, or are they “unfair” expectations for Buckers?
Are the Caitlin Clark Comparisons ‘Unfair’ for Paige Bueckers?
In 2023, WNBA viewership was already trending upward. But after the WNBA Finals, much of the buzz shifted to women’s college hoops, specifically, Clark.
Clark took over headlines with her explosive scoring at Iowa, drawing comparisons to Stephen Curry. She averaged over 20 points per game and became one of the most popular women’s college basketball players ever. Though she never won a national title, she played a huge role in driving up March Madness ratings and NCAA viewership in general.
Her popularity followed her into the WNBA, where she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Fever. When Indiana drafted her, many saw Clark as the answer to the Fever’s problem as a franchise. Having multiple head coaches with losing records and not making a playoff appearance since 2016, Indiana was in need of something to draw fans back in.
Clark brought many eyes to the Fever, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert was aware of this when negotiating the national TV schedule for the upcoming season. The Fever had just as many nationally televised games in 2024 as teams looking to compete for a championship, like the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty.
However, before Clark came to the Fever, the Fever were streaming the majority of their games on Facebook Live and Twitter.
Now, what would this effect look like on the Wings with Bueckers? Dallas finished in second-to-last place in the entire WNBA last season, mostly due to injuries. However, now that Bueckers is in town, fans all around are predicting the Wings to make a playoff appearance for the first time since 2023.
That said, some WNBA general managers think the expectations are too high. When fans put so much pressure on a rookie, anything short of dominance can feel like a letdown.
“It’s just really hard to impact the game as a rookie,” one WNBA GM said via ESPN. “What Caitlin did last year is so special and unique. Paige is a special player … I think she’ll be a good player this year, but I’m not expecting a Caitlin-like impact. And that’s an unfair bar to set.”
If Bueckers puts up 14 points in a game, fans might see that as an off night, even if she’s making key plays on defense or creating opportunities that don’t show up on the stat sheet. For now, it’s time to let Bueckers become Bueckers before expecting her to be the next big thing.