Even though the Dallas Wings lost to Minnesota Lynx in their first game of the season against Minnesota Lynx on Friday night, it was still a huge night for the Paige Bueckers, who made their WNBA debut.

The first pick in the 2025 draft won the first place in Wings this season and won with 10 points. Despite the loss, the Bueckers showed hope and calm under pressure, and his head coach Chris Koclanes has been praised by head coach Chris Koclanes for his growing dynamics.

"She's so great. She's special in being able to handle things in such a graceful way," Cocranes told the Associated Press. "As a team, like a real preaching, people are very concerned about our mental game, just dealing with everything else, all the external expectations, external noise, and really trying to expose them and give them all sorts of different ways to stay present.

In a recent press conference, sports journalist Joey Mistretta asked Wing General Manager Curt Miller if there was anything that stood out in Bueckers’ debut, but he kind of avoided the issue and started talking about the entire team.

"I thank her for her orders in the game. We're going to get better and better. They're all learning to play each other." "The camp is too fast, but I'm very excited about the potential of the group. The camp in July looks a lot different from the July in May.

Curt Miller of Luisa Geisel Söder joins Wings and Paige Buckers for WNBA debut#wingsuppic.twitter.com/iscf8fiqcj

— Joey Mistretta (@joeymistretta_) May 18, 2025

In addition to his first WNBA debut, the Bueckers are reunited with former UConn teammate Napheesa Collier, who is the Lynx forward. After the timeout, they had a friendly conversation at the free throw line. Collier performed well, Minnesota scored 34 points.

According to the Associated Press, it seems Buecker's debut was the beginning of her growth in the league, an important milestone, and it was the stage where she moved forward.

“Often, the first one is always the hardest,” Bueckers said. "It's not that it's not going to get harder, it's just being able to have a starting point and keep working hard. Now, you have to walk over."

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