Paige Bueckers Lands In Concussion Protocol With ‘Welcome To League’ Moment

Paige Bueckers and her Dallas Wings are still working out their chemistry woes six games into the 2025 WNBA season having won 1 game.

Paige Bueckers Lands In Concussion Protocol With ‘Welcome To League’ Moment

Paige Bueckers to miss at least 2 games due to concussion (Image via FirstSportz)

When the Dallas Wings drafted Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall, they knew they were getting a generational player on their team. She was going to come in with her elite shooting efficiency, defense, awareness, maturity, and the ability to lead a team.

However, those skills were what made her one of the best players in college basketball over the past five years. In the WNBA, a rookie needs to work on those skills to ensure they can be useful when playing against better players, coaching, as well as adjusting to the physicality.

Diana Taurasi had mentioned about rookies struggling against grown women, but that quote was taken as a slight towards Caitlin Clark. When one looks at even Clark’s rookie season, she did struggle early against the bigger and stronger women.

Only when she received time off during the Olympics break did she get a handle on how the professional league is different. Paige Bueckers will not get that opportunity, and right now is trying to figure out how she can help her new team win.

They did win against the Connecticut Sun in their previous game, which brought an end to their losing streak. Yesterday, Bueckers and her team then faced Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky. They ended up losing the game, and one incident ended up becoming the UConn star’s welcome to the league moment.

Towards the end of the 2nd quarter, the 23-year-old tried to drive towards the basket. However, she fell to the floor after coming in contact with Sky guard, Courtney Vandersloot. Replays indicate that the two guards probably unintentionally banged into each other’s heads. Bueckers took some time to get off the floor, as it seemed to have shaken her up.

Paige Bueckers to miss at least two games

Paige Bueckers continued to play the rest of the game and could not help her Dallas Wings hang on to their 3rd quarter lead. After the game, all players went through their league-mandated medical checks, and it was found that the No. 1 overall pick had suffered a concussion.

Even though the WNBA did not clarify which play led to her suffering a concussion, it is believed that the clash of heads may have caused it. Now she has entered the league’s concussion protocol, which means she will miss the next two games.

The number of games is just the initial restriction. Usually, entering a protocol also means that players cannot practice, as they are required to avoid too much activity to allow their brains to stabilize. The league’s medical officers will check on her after those two games and then take a call.

If they feel she is ready to play, only then can she return to practice with her teammates or play a game. If they do not feel she is ready, the league can extend her stay in the protocol, thereby forcing her to miss more games.

Dallas Wings need Paige Bueckers to run their offense

The Dallas Wings just lost to Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky. The latter were down in the 3rd quarter, but used their fourth quarter rally to stage a comeback and notch their first win of the season. They would like to kickstart their winning streak, considering they will again face the Wings next, on the road.

Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese clashed on May 29th
Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese clashed on May 29th (Image via Open Source/X)

The Wings, on the other hand, might have to do everything they can to win that next game. After that, they will face five playoff teams consecutively. They would have preferred if they had the dynamic play of Paige Bueckers at their disposal.

For that, she has to recover and exit the concussion protocol within the two games that she initially needs to wait. The Wings are in for a tough ride until the middle of June. After that, they can hope to battle for wins and get their season in motion so that they can be competitive when facing Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever.

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