Wednesday night was Paige Bueckers‘ third WNBA regular-season game, and just like Caitlin Clark’s first season with the Indiana Fever, the Dallas Wings have started 0-3.
Dallas was competitive against Minnesota on Wednesday night, dropping an 85-81 decision less than a week after losing by double digits.
Through three games, it’s clear that Bueckers belongs. It’s also obvious why she was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
There have been some differences between the first three games of Bueckers and Clark’s careers. However, there have also been some similarities.
As their career are expected to be tied together, here’s a look at how Bueckers’ WNBA first three games compare to Clark’s.
Clark’s team also went 0-3, just like Dallas is after three games. The Iowa star averaged 17 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
Clark shot 40 percent from the field, 32 percent from 3-point range, and also averaged seven turnovers per game, which included 10 turnovers in her WNBA debut.
Bueckers may never score the ball the way Caitlin does, but through three games, she has just seven total turnovers. She’s averaging 13.6 points, 6.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
The Rookie of the Year favorite is shooting 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Paige has earned 15 free-throw trips (80 percent) compared to 10 percent for Clark (100 percent).
Buecker did record her first double-double quicker than Clark after scoring 12 points and dishing out 10 assists on Wednesday. Clark’s first double-double came in her sixth game.
Clark and Bueckers are different players. Their stat lines will always be a little different, but if you measure the first three games of their WNBA careers at least, their impact is eerily similar.
If that plays out for an entire season, that will be great news for the Wings.
