For years, one criticism has followed Paige Bueckers, no matter how well she played – she can sometimes be too unselfish. While most star players naturally hunt their own shot when the game is on the line, Bueckers focuses harder on finding her teammates open. But two games into the 2026 season, and the Dallas Wings star is openly admitting that she still wants to improve.

Ahead of Dallas’ third regular-season game, the 24-year-old herself opened up about that mindset and admitted she wants to become more aggressive offensively as the season goes on.

“I feel stuff out first, and then this is obviously a new team, and we didn’t have everybody in preseason,” she said. “So I think I gradually made my way through the first two games of the season. I feel like I can be more aggressive.”

Top Stories

UFC

UFC MW Division in Chaos as Sean Strickland Faces Extended Layoff After Brutal Injury Update

1 day ago

Golf

Scottie Scheffler Laughs as Golf Fans Heckle Him at PGA Championship

13 hrs ago

NFL

$250M Businessman Threatens All NFL Teams With “Legal Action” Over Mike Vrabel–Dianna Russini Jokes

12 hrs ago

Golf

‘Couldn’t Feel Any Worse’: Jon Rahm Feels Guilty as Anger Tantrum Leaves PGA Championship Volunteer Shaken

14 hrs ago

NFL

Backlash Mounts Against Dolphins Rookie Le’Veon Moss for Retiring Just 4 Days After Signing Contract in Miami

1 day ago

Golf

PGA Championship Official Details Strict New Locker Room Conduct Hours Ahead of Major: ‘If a Player…’

1 day ago

“But not just for me, but also for creating for others. So again, it’s something that I have battled with my whole life… I am just being more selfish, taking more shots, so it’s something that I’m very aware of, and I want to improve on as well,” Paige Bueckers further added.

Be it through her college days or her rookie year in the WNBA, Bueckers built a reputation for being one of the smartest guards. She naturally looks to involve teammates first, whether it’s breaking down defenses, setting up shooters, or simply making the extra pass. But the issue stems from the fact that, when needed, her team needs her to stop looking for the perfect play and simply take over herself.

Here’s a recent example: In Dallas’ loss to the Atlanta Dream, the Wings scored only 13 points in the fourth quarter as the offense completely stalled. Though Bueckers finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, she deferred to Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard, who attempted 15 and 11 shots, respectively. It once again highlighted the balance she is still trying to figure out between being aggressive with her own offense and being facilitative.

In fact, through Dallas’ first two games of the season, she had a usage rate of just 18.1 percent. In simple terms, that means only 18% of the Wings’ offensive possessions end with her finishing an offensive play.

For a player with her level of talent, that number naturally raised a few eyebrows. But the good news is that just after openly admitting she wanted to become more aggressive, Bueckers has started showing exactly what that version of herself could look like.

Paige Bueckers Finally Flipped the Switch

All it took was one game for Bueckers to stand tall on her words as the 6-foot guard delivered her best performance of this season against the Minnesota Lynx.

After averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 assists so far, Bueckers went on to finish her latest game with 27 points and eight assists, both season highs, while shooting 7-of-13 from the field and an impressive 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, as well as 10-11 from the charity stripe.

From the opening quarter itself, there was a noticeable difference in her approach. She looked far more comfortable attacking gaps, pulling up confidently, and taking control of the ball rather than immediately looking to move it. Even while continuing to create for teammates, she played with a much more assertive mindset overall. And honestly, that is exactly the version of Paige Bueckers Dallas needs.

However, individual breakthroughs can only take a team so far, as the Wings still fell short in a close 90-86 loss.

But it is still extremely early in the season. Dallas went through major roster changes over the offseason, and building chemistry with so many new pieces was always going to take time.

Still, if Paige Bueckers continues growing into this more aggressive role while the rest of the roster starts clicking together, the Wings could become a very dangerous team.