Former No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers will miss at least the next two games with a concussion. She was placed on injured reserve on Thursday night in Chicago. She had 15 points at the time of the injury. Dallas has opened the season with a 1-5 record to start the season, and now they’ll be without one of their best players.
Bueckers Had a Season-High Before Injury
The only win for Dallas came against the Connecticut Sun, who is 1-6 on the year. Besides beating a team that was just as bad as them, they have lost every single game of the season. In all of Dallas’s losses, they were close games. Each loss was within single digits, so it’s not like their losses were wide margins. Their 99-84 loss on Opening Day was their largest loss of the season.
The loss of Paige Bueckers is a rough one. She was averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. It is going to be tough for Dallas to keep up with teams with this loss.
Paige Bueckers Best Performance Of the Season
During Buecker’s 21-point performance, she had an 80% field goal percentage, 0-of-1 from three-point range, and 5-o-6 from the free throw line. This statline highlights her ability to perform at a consistent level. The way things were going, she was on track for another 20-point performance before she got injured. Bueckers got injured after she collided with a player on the Sky.
As of right now, Bueckers’ totals are the highest in the league among rookies. She is not on track to return to the team until early June, which will be a huge blow. It seemed like she was really getting into her groove these last two games, so, unfortunately, the injury happened when it did.
Last Thoughts
Paige Bueckers has the potential to be a Caitlin Clark-type player. She won’t get to her level overnight, but so far through her first few games she’s shown that potential. Dallas isn’t going to be able to mimic her production, so it’s going to take a complete team effort. Dallas is currently 4.5 games back in the Western Conference.
