Paige final season

[Bone Dog]

I’m just really glad that Sarah will get to play with Paige for a season. Continuity of the tradition of transcendent players is important.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad Allie and Morgan will experience having someone like Paige as a teammate. But with Sarah, it just feels a little different.

 

[hoophuskee]

As we fans begin to assimilate what Paige has stated and her conversion to a more "shoot first" kind of guard one cannot help but think of it in the context of a previous thread that was titled: "Are there enough minutes to go around". In that thread, we were hard-pressed to be able to spread the minutes around so that our players could all play meaningful minutes. I was criticized by some because I cut Paige's minutes down to 21. With Paige's recent declaration that she is going to be more aggressive, I will have to double-down on my statement because if Paige is more aggressive as she says she will be...then we can assume that UConn will burst out to early leads and will go up big early which will cause Geno to have to substitute bench players earlier. We could see Paige Bueckers averaging around 22-24 points a game because she will only average 21-24 minutes per game.

Here is my minute allocation from the previous spread:

Paige Bueckers..............................21
Azzi Fudd........................................21
KK Arnold.......................................13
Jana El-Alfy....................................17
Qadence Samuels.......................12
Allie Ziebel.....................................10
Ashlyn Shade................................13
Kaitlyn Chen.................................16
Sara Strong...................................17
Morgan Cheli...............................10
Ice Brady........................................17
Carolyn Ducharme.....................11
Ayanna Patterson.......................10
Aubrey Griffin..............................12
Total..............................................200

Point Guard / Shooting Guard total minutes: 94 Total available minutes at the point guard and the shooting guard = 80
Small Forward / Power Forward total minutes: 72 Total available minutes at small forward, power forward = 80
Center total minutes: 34 Total available minutes at Center = 40

Analysis: There are 14 excess minutes at point guard and shooting guard. This analysis is 8 minutes short at the small forward and the power forward position and 6 minutes short at the center. So, one or more of the guards will have to put some time in a small forward. Some of the point guards will have to give up minutes to the Power forwards and the Center positions. Or, the coaching staff will run with a 3-guard line-up or they may decide to play big...at the end of the day there are 200 minutes available and these 14 players will divvy them up among them. Some days they will play more minutes other days they will play less. The above list is simply an average over the year. Minutes will be adjusted if players miss games because of injuries.

I believe all your posts refer to averages whether against tough opponents or not? I believe some posters on here agree in theory on average to play someone like Paige maybe 25 minutes average and in big games no more than 30 as an example? I don't agree with that if anyone does believe. I have had arguments over the years with several posters regarding bench usage. Per the link below for anyone thinking Geno is going to try to use his bench to wear down an opponent, listen to his comments at around the 3:25- 3:30 mark. This should put that theory to rest. But imo I just like to also add that this doesn't mean he can't have up to 9 players in big games. Because some of his best might be "equal." But it seems he is not going to use his bench to wear teams down. And I happen to agree with the philosophy "play your best."

 

[ashfan]

I believe Geno wants Paige to score more and will be on her every game day about it. We will have to see how that turns out. Many of you will remember that Geno was very vocal about that with Diana Taurasi in her junior and even more in her senior year and she pretty much ignored him as she sought to leave behind the best team she could.

A Uconn championship would be a team championship, not a Paige championship--which means Paige, Ash, KK, and the best of the Bigs. The bedrock of the '24-'25 team is the aforementioned players; the bedrock of '25-'26 and '26-'27 is Ash and KK.

 

[BRS24]

I will fall to my knees in a Walmart if Fever lands the No. 1 pick again, Christie Sides cannot be allowed to touch Paige Bueckers with a 20 foot pole. I do not like her coaching style or her weird lineups and rotations.

Would rather she go to the Wings/Mystics (If the coaching changes over there because Thibault seems clueless sometimes). Huge lack of ball sharing because of Arike on the Wings, they honestly played better than I expected without her on the floor against the Lynx. Mystics are rebuilding and PB is the perfect PG/SG for them to get.

Just like when Geno was recruiting Paige, he didn't recruit CC, as it would be overlap of similar skillsets. It would be foolish for the Fever to draft Paige if they have the #1 pick, however, we've all seen some foolish things in the W. It's a shame that she cannot pull an Elway or Manning and quietly tell certain teams that she won't play. It will be interesting to see how the WNBA handles the 2025 draft with the Golden State Valkyries team starting next year.

 

[oldude]

Just like when Geno was recruiting Paige, he didn't recruit CC, as it would be overlap of similar skillsets. It would be foolish for the Fever to draft Paige if they have the #1 pick, however, we've all seen some foolish things in the W. It's a shame that she cannot pull an Elway or Manning and quietly tell certain teams that she won't play. It will be interesting to see how the WNBA handles the 2025 draft with the Golden State Valkyries team starting next year.

Not sure why Geno didn’t recruit CC, but I doubt it had anything to do with overlap of similar skill sets. After all, he recruited Nika, another pg, after getting a commitment from Paige, the #1 player and best pg in the world. Paige can play effectively with anyone, including CC, as she demonstrated when they both played on the FIBA U19 world championship team.

I would like to see Paige in LA, because I think it would do more to elevate the W than any other scenario. But wherever she ends up, Paige will be a star and everyone she plays with will be better for it.

 

[oldude]

Attitude maybe? Geno doesn’t recruit players with poor sportsmanship, and if any of his players show any, he benches them no matter how good (Stewie and Tuck in 2016 against Memphis).

You never know. There is little indication that Geno was ever involved with CC as a recruit, so it’s unlikely that he ever got to know her well enough to be concerned about her attitude.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not sure why Geno didn’t recruit CC, but I doubt it had anything to do with overlap of similar skill sets. After all, he recruited Nika, another pg, after getting a commitment from Paige, the #1 player and best pg in the world. Paige can play effectively with anyone, including CC, as she demonstrated when they both played on the FIBA U19 world championship team.

I would like to see Paige in LA, because I think it would do more to elevate the W than any other scenario. But wherever she ends up, Paige will be a star and everyone she plays with will be better for it.

That was the 2019 World Cup U19 team. Clark was Bueckers’ backup so they weren’t on the floor together hardly at all. In fact, Clark played only 14 mpg which was 10 less than Van Lith and 4 less than Celeste Taylor. So the coaches didn’t think Clark was their best PG or SG. Coaches were HC Walz, ACs Close and Adair.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Is there anyone the Lynx could trade beside Collier for the #1? Maybe a package. I would love to see Paige play with my favorite player, Phee. And yes, any team would be better than one with Arike on it.

Reeve talked about the difficulties of getting someone like Blaze Checkers a couple of years ago and how she was being endlessly asked about getting Blaze. Yeah, that's what they called her.

 

[MSGRET]

I believe that Golden State will have the first pick considering they are the expansion team next year.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Paige in Minnesota would be amazing. I don't think they get her Mystics, Wings, and Sparks seem more feasible. But imagine a Paige - Phee - McBride tandem, not to mention Dorka. I think Minny needs a strong point guard and she would fit the bill.

 

[oldude]

I believe that Golden State will have the first pick considering they are the expansion team next year.

I’m not sure. The last time the W added a team was the Atlanta Dream in 2008. The Dream received the 4th overall pick, just outside the 3 lottery picks. Before that, when the Chicago Sky were added in 2006, they received the 6th overall pick.

 

[yhun89]

I believe that Golden State will have the first pick considering they are the expansion team next year.

Doubt it. No expansion team gets first pick, although I wish they did personally.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

2025 WNBA Draft Lottery Odds

• “[T]eams have their records calculated over the last two seasons, and the worst combined record has the best lottery odds, though nothing is guaranteed since the chance of that team getting the No. 1 pick is still only 44.2 percent. The next-worst record has a 27.6 percent chance of the top pick, then 17.8 percent, then 10.4 percent.”
• “Currently, the four teams in the 2025 lottery are the Wings, Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever.”
• “As the Wings have seen their season go up in flames, they will have a tougher time getting the top odds because they won 22 games in 2023[.]”
• If Atlanta enters the picture, their pick goes to the Washington Mystics.
• If Chicago enters the picture, their pick goes to Dallas.

Hoping Chicago and Indiana do well and Atlanta, Washington and LA not so well. And rooting for Dallas for this year.

 

[visitingcock]

Don't know how I missed this a coup;e of months ago. Boston and Paige discussing NIL and their thoughts on turning pro.

Highly recommended by me.

 

[AnonChoice]

What about the new expansion team coming to the WNBA in 2025 -- the Golden State Valkries? (awful name). Do they automatically get the first draft pick, or do they go into a lottery... I don't know how new start-up teams get their players.

I would NOT want to see Paige go to Indiana. Yikes. And as some others have said, no team should get the #1 pick three years in a row.

As for her last year at UConn, we HOPE Paige will be fully healthy for the year. I've learned not to assume that at all. For anyone.

 

[ConnMotors]

They would get the 5th pick. And, I agree on the Golden State name. It stinks

 

[The deacon]

Not sure why Geno didn’t recruit CC, but I doubt it had anything to do with overlap of similar skill sets. After all, he recruited Nika, another pg, after getting a commitment from Paige, the #1 player and best pg in the world. Paige can play effectively with anyone, including CC, as she demonstrated when they both played on the FIBA U19 world championship team.

I would like to see Paige in LA, because I think it would do more to elevate the W than any other scenario. But wherever she ends up, Paige will be a star and everyone she plays with will be better for it.

Ha! A valid point, Oldude, except it might be a stretch to lump Nika with Paige and Caitlin as sharing 'similar skill sets.'

As we're now seeing in the WNBA and as she demonstrated with the U-19 national team, Caitlin can also play with anyone. My hope, as I've mentioned here before, is that Paige and Caitlin will be the U.S. backcourt for several Olympics. I'm quite sure Paige would love to be on the receiving end of some of Caitlin's assists. I just hope we're around to see it.

 

[Bone Dog]

Ha! A valid point, Oldude, except it might be a stretch to lump Nika with Paige and Caitlin as sharing 'similar skill sets.'

As we're now seeing in the WNBA and as she demonstrated with the U-19 national team, Caitlin can also play with anyone. My hope, as I've mentioned here before, is that Paige and Caitlin will be the U.S. backcourt for several Olympics. I'm quite sure Paige would love to be on the receiving end of some of Caitlin's assists. I just hope we're around to see it.

Somehow Caitlin has found her way back onto this board on a thread about Paige. Someone must be obsessed. Either that or they sincerely believe Caitlin is only worth thinking about by contrast with Paige... who is undoubtedly the better player. She is the moon to Paige's sun.

 

[oldude]

Ha! A valid point, Oldude, except it might be a stretch to lump Nika with Paige and Caitlin as sharing 'similar skill sets.'

As we're now seeing in the WNBA and as she demonstrated with the U-19 national team, Caitlin can also play with anyone. My hope, as I've mentioned here before, is that Paige and Caitlin will be the U.S. backcourt for several Olympics. I'm quite sure Paige would love to be on the receiving end of some of Caitlin's assists. I just hope we're around to see it.

Yes. Put Paige and CC together in the same backcourt and I have no doubt they would play off each other beautifully. As I said, Paige can play with anyone and make them better, including CC. One more thing about Paige. I believe she’s the only player in the history of WBB to make 1st team AA as a pg and later as a power forward, something that speaks volumes about her ability to fit into any situation on any team.

 

[oldude]

Somehow Caitlin has found her way back onto this board on a thread about Paige. Someone must be obsessed. Either that or they sincerely believe Caitlin is only worth thinking about by contrast with Paige... who is undoubtedly the better player. She is the moon to Paige's sun.

Easy now. The discussion was about where Paige might be drafted and if she and CC could play together effectively in IN. The bottom 4 teams in the W will all be part of the lottery and, as a result, they will all have a shot at Paige, assuming she’s the #1 pick, as we all expect. As of right now those 4 teams are the Fever, Mystics, Sparks & Wings.

But never fear, the Fever, including CC, appear to be hitting their stride. They are just 1 win away from losing their lottery status. That would most certainly end any speculation about Paige & CC playing together next season.

 

[Bone Dog]

Easy now. The discussion was about where Paige might be drafted and if she and CC could play together effectively in IN. The bottom 4 teams in the W will all be part of the lottery and, as a result, they will all have a shot at Paige, assuming she’s the #1 pick, as we all expect. As of right now those 4 teams are the Fever, Mystics, Sparks & Wings.

But never fear, the Fever, including CC, appear to be hitting their stride. They are just 1 win away from losing their lottery status. That would most certainly end any speculation about Paige & CC playing together next season.

I thought the discussion was about Paige's final season. I get that it makes sense to segue from that into likely draft scenarios, and even into reflections of what her experience might be on various teams. But somehow that morphed into a free-floating anthem to CC, as here:

As we're now seeing in the WNBA and as she demonstrated with the U-19 national team, Caitlin can also play with anyone.

She was a great player -- almost as good as Paige -- and she seems to be finding her sea legs in the W. But rather than say "Caitlin can also play with anyone", it might make more sense to say that if she has the good fortune of playing on Paige's team, Paige will be able to make her look good, make up for her shortcomings, etc.

And by the way, I agree with your implicit suggestion that Nika Caitlin and Paige have similar skill sets. Most notably, they all are quite fond of the transition "home run" pass. Paige and Nika are significantly better at this than Caitlin, though she has other virtues.

 

[HuskyNan]

Another Caitlin thread…