Wings Make Paige Bueckers Change — What it Means for Valkyries Game
The Dallas Wings enter Sunday afternoon’s contest against the Golden State Valkyries with a league-worst 9-28 record. This poor season has come despite a historic rookie campaign from No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers.
Averaging 19.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists, Bueckers is widely deemed the WNBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner despite her team’s abysmal record. Ranking fifth in the league in points per game, Bueckers has been able to score with the WNBA’s best in her first campaign. However, what many of her fans have noticed has been the decreased on-ball opportunities relative to her time at UConn.
Leading the Big East in assists twice (via Basketball Reference), Bueckers displayed elite playmaking ability during her time with the Huskies. While her 5.1 assists are tied for 10th in the WNBA, many feel she is capable of even more.
Ahead of Sunday’s game against Golden State, Wings head coach Chris Koclanes revealed he will be making a change — giving Bueckers more on-ball opportunities following the season-ending injury to JJ Quinerly.
“Koclanes says Quinerly’s injury will lead to Bueckers being on the ball more,” Wings beat reporter Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints posted on X.
Koclanes says Quinerly’s injury will lead to Bueckers being on the ball more
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) August 24, 2025
Koclanes also revealed his exact messaging to Bueckers, and expressed his confidence in her ability to handle this increased role.
“(Quinerly's injury) puts (Paige Bueckers) on the ball more right away,” Koclanes said (via Mistretta). “With just Grace (Berger) there, you know, ‘P, you're gonna have to initiate more and dominate on the ball some more.' And she's, you know, more than capable and ready to do that.”
How Paige Bueckers' Increased Role Will Impact Valkyries-Wings
The Wings have already been eliminated from postseason contention, but the Valkyries are firmly in the playoff picture. At 18-18, Golden State owns the eighth and final postseason spot.
While Bueckers is already at the top of every team’s scouting report, the Valkyries now have something else to game plan for with the star guard handling more of the ball-handing duties.
The Wings announced on Sunday that Quinerly had suffered an ACL sprain in her left knee that would end her 2025 season. Having appeared in 34 games (13 starts), Quinerly often handled on-ball responsibilities in her minutes. Now, with Dallas down a ball handler, Bueckers will be expected to do even more offensively.
EVERY. SINGLE. BUCKET from Paige Buecker's historic 44-point performance 🎥 https://t.co/nHmxg1q4js pic.twitter.com/FfJiJoJwgV
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 21, 2025
Entering Sunday, the Valkyries own the WNBA’s fifth best defense with a 100.6 defensive rating. Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase has helped establish a defensive identity that has her team in position to make the playoffs.
While the Valkyries will have their hands full with Bueckers and her increased role, they have held her slightly below her season average in two meetings. Against Golden State this season, Bueckers has averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists (via WNBA Stats). Golden State and Dallas have split their two contests prior to Sunday.
Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.