What Paige Bueckers Hopes to Learn from SGA, Jalen Brunson’s Games in NBA Playoffs

Apart from being one of the biggest stars in the WNBA, Paige Bueckers is a basketball fan herself too. Just like the rest of us, she’s been loving watching the NBA playoffs.

The Wings watched Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Spurs on the plane together, which was the first game of the series they got to watch as Dallas happened to be playing at the same time as the first three games. When Victor Wembanyama hit the half-court buzzer beater at halftime, Bueckers said the plane erupted in screams.

Wembanyama is just one player the sophomore W star loves to watch, but she draws inspiration for her own game from other NBA superstars. It’s hard for her to relate to the 7'4" Frenchman, but she admires this year’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game, for instance.

“I take a lot from Shai’s game, just being able to get to your spot consistently,” Bueckers said, via Dallas Morning News reporter Myah Taylor. “And [Spurs guard Stephon Castle], he’s my guy, he’s done a good job defensively. I just really enjoy watching basketball, so to see that level of competition. I mean, Wemby’s an alien, he’s unreal.”

Paige Bueckers said she watches a lot of basketball. The Dallas Wings star has been tuned into the NBA playoffs. “I take a lot from Shai’s game,” she said, adding that she’s also learned a lot from watching Jalen Brunson’s footwork. pic.twitter.com/pfXPWlXbGr
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) May 27, 2026

Bueckers has specifically loved the physicality of the WCF so far. The series has featured some amazing basketball, and Bueckers is excited to watch the rest of the playoffs over the next few weeks.

One player in the Eastern Conference playoffs stood out to Bueckers thus far, as well: Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. That shouldn’t come as a surprise—Brunson is a smaller guard, far closer in stature to Bueckers than many NBA stars, but both shine with their elite shooting. Brunson has led the Knicks on a 10-game winning streak in the postseason to book them a trip to the NBA Finals. New York will face either the Thunder or the Spurs.

“For me too, watching Jalen Brunson and his footwork, I think I’ve learned a lot from that,” Bueckers continued. “His ability to not be the tallest and most athletic person on the floor, but his consistency in getting to his spot, getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line, being aggressive that way. Yeah, I really enjoy watching him.”

It’s fitting that Bueckers pulls inspiration from two of the best guards in the NBA right now. It’s beneficial for her to watch and learn from Gilgeous-Alexander’s and Brunson’s games in particular because their roles on their respective teams are all pretty similar. As star guards, Bueckers, SGA and Brunson all have to set their teams up for success on the court by getting in good positions to distribute and score buckets.

Bueckers really admires how Gilgeous-Alexander and Brunson navigate the basketball court and manage to drop 20-plus points virtually each game. The MVP notably didn’t score below 20 points in any of the 68 regular season games he played this past season. Bueckers chose solid NBA role models.

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