Fantasy WNBA: Why Paige Bueckers could have a Diana Taurasi-like rookie year - ESPN

Paige Bueckers is widely expected to hear her name called as the first pick in the WNBA draft (by the Dallas Wings) on April 14. The league is coming off of a season in which multiple rookies were named All-Stars while turning in elite fantasy production. Should we expect a similar impact from Bueckers in 2025? The short answer is: yes.

In 2020, Bueckers was the espnW recruiting rankings' No. 1 player coming out of high school. The four other players in the top 5 — Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso — were all part of a stacked 2024 WNBA draft class and produced well as rookies when healthy. Clark and Reese were All-Stars and finished top-12 in the league in fantasy points per game, with Clark landing second.

Bueckers' collegiate career was extended a year by major injuries, but the flip side is that she will enter the WNBA more mature than the typical rookie at 23 years old. Bueckers has the skill and pedigree to translate her production to the WNBA in a similar way as her class contemporaries did. She has experience playing at the highest levels in women's collegiate basketball, making the Final Four in each of her four seasons on the court (she missed the entire 2022-23 with a torn ACL) culminating in a national championship this past weekend.

Stylistically, Bueckers is a 6-foot shooting guard with excellent court awareness and playmaking. She is not a traditional point guard who would be among the league leaders in assists, but an efficient scorer at every level with a strong all-around game. Her numbers were very consistent across all four seasons and give a reasonable template for what to expect once she reaches the WNBA.

An interesting comparison to Bueckers is another illustrious UConn