After years in the public eye, Paige Bueckers entered the WNBA with sky-high expectations, as a consensus No. 1 pick fresh off a national title.
And, five months removed from draft night, it’s safe to say that Bueckers has exceeded all of those expectations, save for team success.
This season, Bueckers has averaged 19.1 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Her scoring average is the 7th-highest in WNBA history among rookies, and the 5th-highest in the WNBA this season.
Her 56% true shooting (which accounts for two-point and three-point shots as well as free throws) is higher than veteran WNBA guards like Sabrina Ionescu, Skylar Diggins, and Courtney Williams, among dozens of others.
It’s incredibly unusual to come in as a highly-touted rookie guard, carry the offensive load, and be efficient while doing so; Kelsey Plum, who was the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer when she was drafted, averaged 8.5 points on 34.6% shooting as a rookie. Sabrina Ionescu missed most of her rookie season with an ankle sprain, but averaged 11.7 points on 37.9% shooting in her subsequent first full season.
Bueckers’ 19.1 points on 47.4% shooting blows those seasons out of the water.
Last month, Bueckers tied the WNBA record for most points in a single game by a rookie, exploding for 44 points on 17-21 shooting. Before Bueckers, no WNBA player has ever taken more than 20 shots in a game and missed four or fewer.
