Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers has lived up to the hype that comes with being the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft in virtually every way.. In her second season, she’s been a force for the Wings and has helped lead the team to a 17-9 start, the fourth-best record in the league thus far.
Bueckers, unfortunately, suffered an injury during the team’s July 19 matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks. She and Nneka Ogwumike collided inadvertently, with Bueckers hitting her head hard on the floor and leaving the game in the fourth quarter.
While the Wings went on to win that game, Bueckers was sidelined for the team’s second game of a back-to-back at home against the New York Liberty on Monday night. The Wings lost that game in overtime 99-98, which snapped a six-game winning streak, and her status for Wednesday’s game against the Portland Fire remains a question mark.
Positive News on Paige Bueckers’ Injury
Although Bueckers has yet to be cleared to return for the Wings on Wednesday night, the arrow appears to be pointing up for that happening. A clip of Bueckers before the game against the Liberty made the rounds on social media, and the second-year guard appeared in good spirits.
To add to the positive news, the Wings’ announcement that Bueckers would miss the game against the Liberty also came with an additional update. According to the team’s official post, Buckers was “cleared from having a concussion following an extensive post-game evaluation.” They added that she is “not currently in the League’s concussion protocol” and only missed the game due to soreness.
This bodes well for Bueckers' turnaround time and her potential to return against the Fire.
Paige Buckers’ Injury Outlook vs. Fire
Considering the Wings currently sit as 4.5-point favorites on Fanatics over the Fire in the road matchup, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Bueckers will likely suit up, although we won’t know for certain until the team’s official announcement on Wednesday.
If Bueckers can return, it’ll be a big boost to their outlook and hopes of returning to winning ways after the narrow overtime loss. Considering the Wings are 17-7 this season with Bueckers and now 0-2 without her, they’ll need her as healthy as possible for the homestretch of the season.
Through 24 games this season, Bueckers is averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. All of those marks are up from her impressive rookie season, and she’s also shot the ball better in year two in terms of field goal percentage (51.8%) and three-point percentage (38.5%).
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