Paige Bueckers’ Stats vs Valkyries Raise Concern Before Playoff Debut
Paige Bueckers will be making her WNBA playoff debut with the No. 7-seeded Dallas Wings take on the No. 2-seeded Golden State Valkyries on Sunday.
There's a lot of excitement about getting to see Bueckers compete in the postseason for the first time. Yet, Bueckers has an extremely tough task ahead of her, given the team she's facing and her history against them.
Dallas struggled immensely against Golden State this year, as the Valkyries beat the Wings in all three games the two teams played. Golden State won by 11 points on June 17, won by 18 points on August 7, and won by eight points on August 17.
Bueckers has also had tough games against the Valkyries. She averaged 17.7 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range against Golden State in those three contests.
Those are a significant drop from her season averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. So are her shooting percentages: 50.6% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range.
Paige Bueckers Will Need to Right Wings' Ship Against Valkyries This Postseason
Bueckers is far from the only player who has struggled to produce against Golden State this season. They're the WNBA's best defense by a wide margin, as the 75.1 points per game opponents have averaged against them is 7.6 points per game better than the league's second-best defending team (the Washington Mystics).
Not to mention that the Valkyries are especially great at home. They went 17-5 at Chase Center, which was the best home record in the WNBA this season. Two games of this three-game series will take place there, which means Dallas must win there at least once to advance.
If there's any silver lining for the Wings, it's that Bueckers is still an elite offensive weapon who can catch fire at any time. And perhaps getting to compete in the postseason for the first time is what will unlock her scoring against Golden State.
Plus, while the Wings weren't quite as good at home as Golden State, they were close. Dallas' 16-6 record in home games was the second-best in the league, which means that Dallas has a good chance against Golden State in Game 2 of their series, which is on Wednesday.
Game 1 on Sunday will tell the women's basketball world a lot about whether Bueckers and Dallas have a chance of upsetting Golden State in this series.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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