Is Paige really a rookie?

[BlueSkyGLW]

This Sabrina Merchant article in The Athletic puts Paige's early season performance in good perspective. My answer to her unstated question at the end: Yes, indeed....she is a rarity (hence I thought this deserves a separate space of its own).

"Maybe the current generation of college stars will continue to adjust to the WNBA at a rapid pace and produce at All-Star levels early in their careers. Or maybe Bueckers, like Clark before her, is a special talent who should be recognized as such, a relative rarity even in a star-studded era."

Don’t let the Dallas Wings’ record fool you: Paige Bueckers’ rookie season is phenomenal

Caitlin Clark's historic rookie outing last season also shouldn't dim Bueckers' debut WNBA campaign.

www.nytimes.com

 

[uh-no]

This Sabrina Merchant article in The Athletic puts Paige's early season performance in good perspective. My answer to her unstated question at the end: Yes, indeed....she is a rarity (hence I thought this deserves a separate space of its own).

Maybe the current generation of college stars will continue to adjust to the WNBA at a rapid pace and produce at All-Star levels early in their careers. Or maybe Bueckers, like Clark before her, is a special talent who should be recognized as such, a relative rarity even in a star-studded era.

Don’t let the Dallas Wings’ record fool you: Paige Bueckers’ rookie season is phenomenal

Caitlin Clark's historic rookie outing last season also shouldn't dim Bueckers' debut WNBA campaign.

www.nytimes.com

star studded era?

diana? Stewie? Ionescu? Maya?

This isn't any more or less a star-studded era than any other....but people are paying attention. I hate the dismissal of the talents that have come before like they didn't exist because people just decided to start talking about them.

 

[msf22b]

Paige's ability to elevate in the lane, catching her defender(s) by surprise is unique.
I'm not sure that the pundits on the other teams will be able to devise a defense for that.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

star studded era?

diana? Stewie? Ionescu? Maya?

This isn't any more or less a star-studded era than any other....but people are paying attention. I hate the dismissal of the talents that have come before like they didn't exist because people just decided to start talking about them.

Indeed, but what can you do? Our fault for not making more noise when they were around.....I am willing to own that much, so am not complaining.

 

[rugbymate]

star studded era?

diana? Stewie? Ionescu? Maya?

This isn't any more or less a star-studded era than any other....but people are paying attention. I hate the dismissal of the talents that have come before like they didn't exist because people just decided to start talking about them.

While there have always been stars, the WNBA is much deeper than 20 years ago as the league scoring is up 20% from then. Much of that can attributed to higher shooting %, better ball handling(much higher assist/turnover ratio) and probably better college coaching of fundamentals.
It’s also a much more watchable product.

 

[bballnut90]

star studded era?

diana? Stewie? Ionescu? Maya?

This isn't any more or less a star-studded era than any other....but people are paying attention. I hate the dismissal of the talents that have come before like they didn't exist because people just decided to start talking about them.

It is a more star studded era, admitting that doesn't diminish what previous stars have done. The quality of the 2024 and 2025 rookie classes are the best we've seen in a long time (maybe ever). Just from those classes alone you have Clark, Bueckers, Reese, Citron, Jackson, Iriafen and Cardoso who are tearing it up in their first 2 years. Clark and Bueckers specifically are potentially the two best rookie guards of all time and their numbers and impact are favorable to the likes of any other rookie guard in league history.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

It is a more star studded era, admitting that doesn't diminish what previous stars have done. The quality of the 2024 and 2025 rookie classes are the best we've seen in a long time (maybe ever). Just from those classes alone you have Clark, Bueckers, Reese, Citron, Jackson, Iriafen and Cardoso who are tearing it up in their first 2 years. Clark and Bueckers specifically are potentially the two best rookie guards of all time and their numbers and impact are favorable to the likes of any other rookie guard in league history.

Plus NIL has exploded their popularity before they step out on the professional courts in arenas that can hold 15000 plus fans. The NCAA recognizing WBB as March Madness also helps.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

She was National Player of the Year etc etc as a college freshman. Your typical WNBA rookie? Not hardly. She knows the game like few others. Plus the endless mantra that the W is faster and much more physical simply is not true UNLESS some psycho miscreant is trying to hurt somebody.

 

[PacoSwede]

Indeed, but what can you do? Our fault for not making more noise when they were around.....I am willing to own that much, so am not complaining.

how is it OUR fault? we have been the ones supporting women's basketball for years. don't blame us for society's failures to value women. it's long past time for that to begin to change. i only hope it continues .... there's a long way to go. as of now, it seems to be impossible for a woman to lead the country while that barrier was demolished decades ago overseas. U,S. culture has much room to improve!

 

[CL82]

She was National Player of the Year etc etc as a college freshman. Your typical WNBA rookie? Not hardly. She knows the game like few others. Plus the endless mantra that the W is faster and much more physical simply is not true UNLESS some psycho miscreant is trying to hurt somebody.

Disagree. It's definitely faster and more physical. Every level you jump up in athletics, ups the baseline level of play. So, now you're playing against players where every starter, and everyone off their bench was probably one of the better if not the best players on their college teams. Everything you do has to be just a bit faster. Passes don't stay available as quickly. Your path to the basket closes faster. Defenders close out on "open" jump shots, faster. Players need to level up every aspect of their game playing in the pros.

The fact that Paige has adapted as fast as she has really speaks to what an extraordinary athlete she is.

For what it's worth, maybe five years ago, I might have somewhat agreed with the point you made, but play in the WNBA has been getting better every year. Say 10 years ago, I found it to be largely unwatchable. Now the games are pretty good, for the most part.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Disagree. It's definitely faster and more physical. Every level you jump up in athletics, ups the baseline level of play. So, now you're playing against players where every starter, and everyone off their bench was probably one of the better if not the best players on their college teams. Everything you do has to be just a bit faster. Passes don't stay available as quickly. Your path to the basket closes faster. Defenders close out on "open" jump shots, faster. Players need to level up every aspect of their game playing in the pros.

The fact that Paige has adapted as fast as she has really speaks to what an extraordinary athlete she is.

For what it's worth, maybe five years ago, I might have somewhat agreed with the point you made, but play in the WNBA has been getting better every year. Say 10 years ago, I found it to be largely unwatchable. Now the games are pretty good, for the most part.

You could write copy for the W! I'm just going by the eye test and I don't see what you're describing. But I have to admit my kids said I scarred them for life in my pushing them in their educations.

 

[BobbyJ]

She was National Player of the Year etc etc as a college freshman. Your typical WNBA rookie? Not hardly. She knows the game like few others. Plus the endless mantra that the W is faster and much more physical simply is not true UNLESS some psycho miscreant is trying to hurt somebody.

You obviously don't watch any WNBA games.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

You obviously don't watch any WNBA games.

Sorry I do but not a lot. If it was truly what you think it is I might watch more. I follow the ocassional game that has a Husky or two in it.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

how is it OUR fault? we have been the ones supporting women's basketball for years. don't blame us for society's failures to value women. it's long past time for that to begin to change. i only hope it continues .... there's a long way to go. as of now, it seems to be impossible for a woman to lead the country while that barrier was demolished decades ago overseas. U,S. culture has much room to improve!

That there had not been enough of us making noise for Women's BB is certainly true.....some of us don't get carried away like others by seeing super athletic men dunking and other show stuff......we appreciate more, the preservation of the art in BB and its subtleties......there were not enough of us making noise for what we appreciate most to be noticed by others, including the casual fans.

The noise for WNBA players was not dramatically amplitied until someone - CC - consistently showed Steph Curry-like distance shooting even as we have always watched with keen appreciation the less spectacular but just as - if not more so - efficient performances on offense from the likes of Sue Bird, Maya Moore......and going all the way back to Cheryl Miller (Diana had much more flair, of course)

We all congregated in places like the Boneyard to talk to fellow believers in the art more than the show, though we appreciate that too but not at the expense of framework of BB, its fundamentals and the artistic impact of well executed team plays on both sides of the ball. Most of us likely did not talk to non-believers in how good WBB truly is when executed by well-coached teams, sans the flying bodies,

I plead guilty to having been a bit of s snob, the one who continues to appreciate BB in the way John Wooden had his teams play it....and finding more of it in well-coached women's teams, UConn above all but not alone. It got to the point where MBB dominated by isolation plays and dunking turned me off.....

To be sure, there were a few men's teams whose coach did not forget the fundamentals, both College and Pros, but the noise was for the show....hammertime!......until the long distance shooters took over.....another extravaganza.....(personally, between the two, I much prefer seeing the long-distance shooting skill).....or something you don't see much these days: what I call the billiard shot (bounced off the backboard) from different distances.,..

 

[CL82]

Sorry I do but not a lot. If it was truly what you think it is I might watch more. I follow the ocassional game that has a Husky or two in it.

So, just a recap you don't like WNBA basketball, but, you watch a lot of it. Do you do other forms of self harm as well?

 

[CL82]

I plead guilty to having been a bit of s snob, the one who continues to appreciate BB in the way John Wooden had his teams play it....and finding more of it in well-coached women's teams, UConn above all but not alone. It got to the point where MBB dominated by isolation plays and dunking turned me off....

Ironically, I find myself on both sides of this debate, sort of.

I don't think the WNBA is better coached than the NBA. It's just a different game due to the differing levels of athleticism between men's and women's players. I do agree with you that because of those athletic limitations the WNBA is closer to what you remember from the 60s, again, that's not because they're all "Wooden level coaches" it's just that women lack the physicality to play basketball at the speed or with the athleticism that Men do.

That said, I much prefer the college game to either the NBA or the WNBA.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

So, just a recap you don't like WNBA basketball, but, you watch a lot of it. Do you do other forms of self harm as well?

That's really witty. One correction: I have watched 3 WNBA games this season. I'm still chuckling.

 

[CL82]

That's really witty. One correction: I have watched 3 WNBA games this season

To be honest, it's not my favorite thing to do either, but I do think it's getting better, much better.

 

[Skeets]

Without a doubt the W is faster and more physical than years past. This doesn't make it any easier for rookies to jump into the league. The fact that Paige and #22 (who shall go nameless) can jump right into the mix without breaking stride makes them unicorns.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Ironically, I find myself on both sides of this debate, sort of.

I don't think the WNBA is better coached than the NBA. It's just a different game due to the differing levels of athleticism between men's and women's players. I do agree with you that because of those athletic limitations the WNBA is closer to what you remember from the 60s, again, that's not because they're all "Wooden level coaches" it's just that women lack the physicality to play basketball at the speed or with the athleticism that Men do.

That said, I much prefer the college game to either the NBA or the WNBA.

Did I say WNBA is better coached? Having seen Red Auerbach's Celtics, Red Holtzman's Knicks, Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors, Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs. and Erik Spoelstra to name just a few, there have no coaches in the WNBA comparable as a group in level, innovation and achievements. If I said something that can be interpreted that way, my mistake but I do not see anything.....Yeah, a few games near the rafters watching Bill Russell, Sam Jones and the lot was some introduction.....

But I would agree with you that UConn WBB and a bit of Stanford WBB (before the lady retired) playing the game has been more to my taste. There are a few more young coaches believing in the "gospel" of the beauty in total team dynamics on the floor - meaning, less isolation, one-on-one stuff.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

So did you know that Paige can actually miss up to 3 shots in a row. She's claimed to be the best shot in the WNBA by the maker of this video of her shooting for more than 10 minutes.

 

[rt bb fan]

So did you know that Paige can actually miss up to 3 shots in a row. She's claimed to be the best shot in the WNBA by the maker of this video of her

Where is the rest of the team? Shouldn't they be practicing shooting?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Where is the rest of the team? Shouldn't they be practicing shooting?

Compete with that? I assume this is pre or post practice.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Yes, she's a rookie. WNBA just designated her Rookie of the Month.

 

[iri10]

I imagine it can be pretty tough for Paige, given her frame and the way some teams play her. Which makes it all the more creditworthy when she plays well, as in the Phoenix game.

With that said, this is why the Dallas coaches would be well served to prevent her minutes from becoming excessive. They'll wear her out if they're not careful.