Where did Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers land in WNBA young player rankings?
ESPN compiled a list of the top 25 players under 25 years old in the WNBA, with three Dallas Wings making the cut, including the odds-on favorite for the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers was given the No. 2 spot on the list behind last year’s Rookie of the Year, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Fever center/forward Aliyah Boston was No. 3, followed by Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga at No. 4 and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese at No. 5.
Here’s what ESPN’s Alexa Philippou said about Bueckers:
“Expectations were high for Bueckers entering the pros, with one GM telling ESPN, ‘She’ll be a Hall of Famer.’ In Year 1, she has largely lived up to the hype and is on pace to join Clark as the only players to average 19 points and 5 assists in their rookie season.
Bueckers’ efficiency has mostly carried over from UConn, with her 46.6% field goal shooting the best of any guard averaging at least 16 points in the league. She has shown the midrange game still has a place in modern basketball, even in 2025.”
Bueckers has burst onto the scene in her first season, finishing in the top 10 in the WNBA in points (19.0), assists (5.2) and steals (1.6) per game.
The next Wings players on the list is forward Diamond Miller at No. 20.
“Miller is another tricky player to assess since she hasn’t yet found a steady role in the league,” Philippou wrote. “She was drafted No. 2 in 2023, highly regarded for her athleticism and versatility, and averaged 12.1 points as a rookie with Minnesota. But she saw minimal time there the past two seasons, after being hampered by injuries and falling out of the rotation. After being traded last month, she has the opportunity to regain her footing in Dallas and brings a different look to the wing with her size compared to several of her undersized teammates.”
An all-rookie selection in 2023, Miller was part of midseason trade this year that sent DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
In 10 games with the Wings, Miller has averaged 3.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists and has struggled from the field, shooting 38%.
The final Wings players on the list is guard Aziaha James at No. 21.
“A fixture in the Wings’ rotation in July, James averaged 9.4 PPG to rank sixth among rookies that month,” Kevin Pelton wrote. “James has faded in August, in part because she has shot 28% from the 3-point line. A 34% 3-point shooter during her last two seasons at NC State, James has room for improvement. That and her superior size give her the nod over fellow Dallas rookie JJ Quinerly, whose season ended this week because of an ACL sprain.”
James, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft, is averaging 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a rookie.
The Wings have struggled to a 9-30 record and have five games remaining this season.
