ESPN WNBA Analysts Had Brutally Honest Messages About Paige Bueckers’s Teammates

Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings got blown out by the Indiana Fever on Sunday.
Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings got blown out by the Indiana Fever on Sunday. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers squared off against Caitlin Clark for the first time in her WNBA career on Sunday and it was clear from the start that the Indiana Fever had more firepower than Dallas Wings, as they rolled to a 102-83 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

After the loss Bueckers had an awkward exchange with a reporter over a question about Clark's defense, which led to a few turnovers by the talented Wings rookie.

Bueckers put up a team-high 21 points in the loss, which dropped the Wings to 6-16 on the season. During ESPN's halftime show, Carolyn Peck dropped a brutally honest line about what Bueckers needs to be successful in the WNBA.

"Caitlin Clark's got help, Paige Bueckers needs more of it," Peck said.

Christine Williamson added: "As you mentioned they do need a lot of help. As you mentioned they do need a lot of help. When you think about the Fever, they’ve had a lot of help off the bench and other players on this team. They have three players in double digits."

That is definitely true and not entirely unexpected takes on this team, which had the first pick of this year's WNBA draft for a reason. The Wings will likely be able to get more help for Bueckers but they're probably going to have to wait until next year's draft when they should have another high draft pick—Dallas currently has the second-worst league, with just three more wins than the Connecticut Sun.

For now, it seems like Bueckers, who will be starting in the WNBA All-Star Game this Saturday, is going to be on the losing end of a lot more games the rest of this season.


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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.