Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers has voiced her support for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, denouncing the "inhumane" pressure and unrealistic expectations placed upon her. Bueckers' comments come as Clark navigates a shooting slump and heightened scrutiny in her second WNBA season.
Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, knows firsthand the weight of expectations, having experienced intense attention since her high school career and particularly during her time at UConn. She acknowledged that Clark handles the pressure "with grace," but emphasized the unfairness of expecting perfection from any player. "The pressure that she's put on every single night to perform at the level that she does—it's inhumane, really, to expect people to be perfect and to not have off games or off nights," Bueckers stated. "If she doesn't go 8 for 10 from three, people are questioning things. It's unfair to have to deal with that."
Clark, who became a national phenomenon during her college career at Iowa, entered the WNBA with enormous hype. While she earned Rookie of the Year honors and was named an All-Star in her debut season, her recent struggles have drawn increased criticism. Over her last three games, Clark has gone 1-for-23 from beyond the arc, leading to questions about her performance.
Bueckers pointed out that Clark has a strong support system to help her navigate the challenges. "I'm sure she has a great team around her and great people to help her," Bueckers said, "and I know she's a great person at dealing with it and just tuning out the noise and just continuing to be there for herself and for her team." Clark herself has spoken about staying grounded by focusing on her inner circle and blocking out distractions.
Bueckers also shared that she has taken some of Clark's advice in managing her own expectations. Drawing on Clark's example, Bueckers added, "Like she talked about, just being able to give yourself grace and know that you are not perfect and there's going to be ups and downs. There's going to be good games. There's going to be bad games. But as long as you keep it forward, keep pushing and keep learning and keep growing from game to game, that's all you can ask for."
The highly anticipated game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever on Friday has even more buzz now, with both Bueckers and Clark playing. However, Clark's availability for the game is uncertain due to a groin injury that sidelined her for Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Despite her shooting slump, Clark continues to be a major draw for fans. She led all players in early WNBA All-Star voting with 515,993 votes, the most ever received by a single player in the initial voting round. This underscores her impact on the league and the excitement she generates among fans. Both Clark and Bueckers are credited with bringing a new wave of fans to the WNBA, boosting ticket sales and overall interest in the sport.
