ESPN analyst claims Paige Bueckers is ‘everything’ WNBA wanted Caitlin Clark to be

One ESPN commentator has suggested that the WNBA has found what they were looking for in Caitlin Clark through the play of Paige Bueckers.

Caitlin Clark has been the most popular since she arrived in the WNBA in 2024, after two sensational seasons with the University of Iowa.

However, she hasn’t made the kind of impact the WNBA were hoping for, with Paige Bueckers being backed as the next face of the league by one analyst.

Paige Bueckers is ‘everything’ WNBA fans wanted Caitlin Clark to be

Speaking on ESPN, NFL analyst Harry Douglas gave his thoughts on the WNBA, and the form of the Dallas Wings in particular.

He noted that Paige Bueckers has been the kind of game-changing star that many expected Caitlin Clark to be when she entered the WNBA.

“You look at the Dallas Wings, they had the worst record a season ago in the WNBA. They had the number one overall pick, and they drafted Azzi Fudd.

ESPN analyst claims Paige Bueckers is

“But the way Paige Bueckers is playing, Ogunbowale, Fudd, and the rest of the Dallas Wings players have been connecting on all cylinders. They have the fourth-best record in the WNBA.

“It’s so funny to me how two seasons ago, you were the worst team in the league. You add one player, and the confidence and the morale around the team is different for 2026, and now they have the fourth-best record.

“But Paige Bueckers? I’m sorry to say it, but everything we expected Caitlin Clark to be, Paige Bueckers has been in the WNBA.”

Caitlin Clark is being outperformed by Paige Bueckers during elite season

The 2026 season has not been going the way Caitlin Clark would have hoped, but her numbers are still very strong.

She is currently averaging 20.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 42% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.

Compare this to Bueckers, who currently averages 20.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field and 38% from deep, and you can see why fans are more impressed with the Dallas Wings star.

In terms of team impact, Bueckers has helped the Wings earn the fourth seed as things stand with a 14-8 record, while Clark and the Indiana Fever are seventh with a 12-9 record.

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