Paige Bueckers Injury Update: Wings coach shares skeptical note as worries mount on thin roster

The Dallas Wings have been struggling with injuries in the past week as six players are currently on their injury list, including their rookie and top scorer Paige Bueckers. The top pick in the most recent WNBA draft was sidelined with patellar tendinitis in her knee, causing her to miss their previous game against the Washington Mystics on Saturday.

For their next game against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, Wings coach Chris Koclanes remained skeptical about her availability despite the long list of injuries on the roster.

“Everything is on the table tomorrow,” the coach said via Joey Mistretta of Clutchpoints on Wednesday.

If she plays, another option is to play Bueckers in the forward position as they are expected to miss forwards Myisha Hines-Allen, and Maddy Siegrist, along with guards Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris, who will miss the rest of the season due to left knee procedure.

Meanwhile, according to Myah Taylor of the Dallas News on X, Bueckers downplayed concerns about her knee, citing times that she has recovered with the same knee pains since high school due to patellar tendinitis.

“Paige Bueckers said she’s struggled with Patellar tendinitis since high school," Taylor reported. "Said her knee often hurts after games and made sense to not play back to back games last Friday and Saturday.”

Bueckers has been the team’s leading scorer so far, putting up 18.4 points, along with 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. With her impressive start, she was named an All-Star game starter for the All-Star weekend next month.

The Wings have been struggling to pile up wins this season, winning only five of their 18 games.

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Paige Bueckers hopes to show up the best version of herself whenever playing in a WNBA court

While she has struggled with some minor injuries early in her career, Paige Bueckers has shown her willingness to be the best version of herself whenever she shows up on a WNBA court.

Talking to the media on Friday, Bueckers said that it was a blessing to be playing in the league, so she wants to show up with her best self.

“It’s a blessing to play in this league … At the same time, you want there to be the best performance,” Bueckers said.

“So I think player safety and player health is the main concern, and making sure that that’s in the forefront and most important. It’s tough trying to fit 44 games into a compact schedule, but everybody’s dealing with it, so you can’t use it as an excuse.”

Paige Bueckers is seen to be the Wings’ future face of the franchise, so her health remains their utmost priority.