Will Paige Bueckers be an immediate star as a WNBA rookie? - ESPN

Last year, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark went from No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft to a top-five finish in MVP voting and a spot on the All-WNBA first team. Fresh off leading UConn to its first national championship since 2016, can Paige Bueckers make a similar impact as the presumptive No. 1 pick in Monday's draft?

Clark did experience some of what fellow No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi termed «reality,» particularly during a brutal start to the schedule. With the Fever schedule front-loaded against some of the WNBA's top teams, including three matchups each with the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty in the first 13 games, Clark shot 37% from the field and had nearly as many turnovers as assists while Indiana started 3-10.

By the time Clark returned from the WNBA's Olympic break, however, she was one of the league's most valuable players down the stretch. Over that span, Clark averaged 23.1 PPG and 8.9 APG as the Fever reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Let's break down Bueckers' performance at UConn alongside those of Clark at Iowa and other college stars to get a better idea of what the Dallas Wings can expect if they indeed make her the No. 1 pick Monday.

Compared to Clark, a natural scorer, Bueckers is a bit more reserved in that regard. She peaked at 21.9 PPG as a junior before dropping to 19.9 as a senior with the arrival of freshman Sarah Strong and the return of Azzi Fudd to the lineup. Bueckers' highest usage rate at UConn was 29%; Clark was at 36.5% or higher all four years of her college career.

When the Huskies needed it, however, Bueckers showed the ability to ramp up her scoring — particularly during the 2025 NCAA tournament. Having topped 32 points just once in her career (against Arkansas