The Mystics have the third, fourth and sixth overall picks in the WNBA Draft, so I’ll be profiling some of the top prospects. First up: “Paige Buckets.”
The 2025 WNBA Draft is coming up, so I’ll be taking a closer look at the draft prospects the Washington Mystics could select at No. 3, No. 4, or No. 6. First up is Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers.
Paige Bueckers profile
- College: Connecticut
- Position: Point Guard
- Height: 5’11
- Where she is likely to be drafted: No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings.
- Likelihood that the Mystics will draft her: Don’t get your hopes up about selecting her unless they trade up to No. 1. More on that below.
What the Mystics (or really, the Wings), can expect from her
Writing a scouting report about Bueckers is rather like writing a review of the album “London Calling” by the Clash. What new praise could I possibly heap upon something so unanimously considered one of the greatest ever?
Bueckers is one of the most automatic and efficient scorers in the history of college basketball. As a true freshman she posted 20.0 points and 5.8 assists per game on splits of… get ready for this… 52.4% from the field, 46.4% from deep and 86.9% from the free throw line. That year she won the Associated Press Player of the Year award, one of only twelve non-seniors to win the award since its introduction in 1995. She is still the only freshman to have done so.
Bueckers is as pro-ready as they come. In fact, she could have been drafted as high as number two overall last year. She ended up returning to UConn for one last ride (though she retains a year of eligibility) and has since become the consensus top prospect for the upcoming WNBA Draft.
Bueckers’ game is devoid of weaknesses. For one, she is one of the greatest three-level scorers in college basketball history. For her career Bueckers shoots 53.3% from the field, 42.1% from three and 85.1% from the line, splits indicative of a future Hall of Famer. You don’t just happen across the nickname “Paige Buckets.”
Processing the game is another key strength. Bueckers consistently draws extra defensive attention and makes the right reads, and her career average of 4.6 assists per game stacks up against just 1.7 turnovers per game.
Bueckers’ playmaking ability is accented by her positional size advantage. At right around six feet even, Bueckers can match up against forwards with relative comfort and has even spent some time playing the power forward position. She is quick and large enough to overwhelm opposing guards on drives to the rim and is an immaculate finisher under pressure.
Bueckers’ combination of court vision, handle and positional size makes her an incredibly versatile player and allows her to play with a sense of freedom characteristic of players like Breanna Stewart. Some of that versatility will be tempered at the WNBA level, but her massive sample size of all-time great shooting ability will translate seamlessly to the pros.
Bueckers is a generational talent with one glaring concern: injuries. Her sophomore season was dramatically upended by both a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear, limiting her to just 17 games. A subsequent torn ACL that offseason cost Bueckers her entire junior year.
Professional athletes with extensive pre-draft injury concerns tend to slide down draft boards. For example, Joel Embiid fell to the Philadelphia 76ers at pick number three in the 2014 NBA Draft, while Michael Porter Jr. slipped from potentially being the first overall pick in 2018 all the way down to pick number 14.
Such might have been the case had Bueckers not returned from back-to-back injury-riddled seasons playing like a woman possessed. This year she posted a career-high of 21.9 points per game and led the Big East with a 60.0% effective field goal percentage, an absurd level of efficiency for a guard. Her overall shooting splits also earned her membership into the 50/40/90 club for the first time.
Bueckers landing with the Washington Mystics is well into “Hail Mary” territory at this point. Rumors circulated last fall that she may be unwilling to play for the Dallas Wings, who own the first overall pick, though Bueckers herself has never addressed the rumors and they appear to be little more than baseless speculation. That said, Bueckers has been seen at numerous Mystics games throughout her college years and has family in the Washington area — which is likely a major reason why this speculation has persisted.
Given that Bueckers is the best prospect since… well, Caitlin Clark last year, but you get the point… she will be the first pick in the draft and is exceedingly likely to evade the Mystics.
The WNBA Draft will take place on April 14. The Mystics own both the third and fourth picks as the result of a trade, so over the coming weeks I will be profiling some more of the prospects in the Mystics’ orbit.
For an even more in-depth look at Bueckers, check out this video from Hunter Cruse that outlines the intricacies of her game far better than I could ever hope to.