MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Paige Bueckers admired the Minnesota Lynx as a kid not all that long ago, cheering on each of the four WNBA championships that played no small part in her ascension to becoming the first overall pick in the draft last month.
Beating the Lynx might be a different story for Bueckers, whose Dallas Wings have lost to Minnesota twice in the first five days of the season — her WNBA debut in Dallas and her first homecoming game as a pro.
After pitching in 12 points, 10 assists and three steals in an 85-81 loss Wednesday night to a Lynx team that was one win away last year from another title, Bueckers expressed appreciation and optimism about her fledgling career with a bit of relief to have the firsts out of the way.
“Coming back home is really cool and it’s a great experience, but what we’re trying to build and what we’re trying to do from game to game is more important,” Bueckers said.
Bueckers enjoyed prodigious growth on the Twin Cities area courts as she made her way through the youth levels to Hopkins High School, less than 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis, where she was back in action at Target Center — the same floor she won a state high school title on and later played on in the NCAA championship game with Connecticut.
Like so many young girls in the last decade around Minnesota, she adored Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen as the core four led the Lynx to four titles with Sylvia Fowles joining midway through. She had a poster on her bedroom wall of Whalen, who’s now an assistant with Brunson on head coach Cheryl Reeve’s staff.
“They were everything I aspired to be,” Bueckers said before the game. “They definitely gave me something to work for and admire. To be able to see what you want to be is very important, so I think, growing up, that was a huge part of the reason I wanted to be in this league.”
With dozens of family members, old friends and former teammates in attendance, Bueckers made that a reality Wednesday. She said afterward she’s too focused on each possession to have truly felt the familiarity of the arena, but she acknowledged the gravity of the moment of playing for a living for a night in the place she once aspired to become one of those performers.
“You try to put everything in perspective,” Bueckers said. “To see see all the little girls and people in the stands and realize that was you about 10 or 15 years ago, you never take it for granted how blessed you are to be able to play in this league.”
There’s clearly a learning curve in place for the first overall pick on a rebuilding team with only three returning players from last season.
Bueckers is 13 for 35 from the floor in three games, after going 3 for 11 on Wednesday. She finally scored late in the second quarter on a 3-pointer against the Lynx and their stingy defense. Her passing was on point, though, as was her hustle. She grabbed a long defensive rebound in the third quarter with a ferocity that caused Lynx guard Karlie Samuelson to knock her to the court as they collided. Reeve screamed, “No, stop fouling!” and immediately pulled Samuelson from the game.
“It’s crazy, the one that I made and the ones that I missed,” Bueckers said, shaking her head. “But I’m just focusing on the next shot and just trying to contribute to winning, whether made or missed shots, trying to impact the game in different ways.”
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