{"id":184545,"date":"2025-08-29T12:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T12:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/184545\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T12:25:10","slug":"candace-parker-draws-bold-comparison-between-paige-bueckers-and-3-time-nba-all-star-amid-wings-rookies-impressive-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/184545\/","title":{"rendered":"Candace Parker Draws Bold Comparison Between Paige Bueckers and 3-Time NBA All-Star Amid Wings Rookie\u2019s Impressive Run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is already making her mark as a superstar in the WNBA<\/a>. Despite the team\u2019s disappointing performances this season, Bueckers has continued to stand out with exceptional play, giving fans real hope for a future championship.<\/p>\n

Her explosive 44-point performance sent shockwaves through the basketball world, drawing comparisons to veteran stars and sparking conversations about her unique playing style.<\/p>\n

Which NBA Star Did Candace Parker Compare Paige Bueckers To?<\/p>\n

In a recent episode of \u201cPost Moves with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston,\u201d Parker, a WNBA legend, spoke about Bueckers and her current game with genuine admiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a league that is so dominated by layups and three-pointers \u2014 this is what Paige talked in one of her press conferences. That teams are willing to give up mid ranges. And we\u2019ve seen how dominant the mid-range game can be in the NBA<\/a>,\u201d Parker said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Parker continued by discussing the often-overlooked mid-range shot, which is frequently used by players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re still valuing that [mid-range shot],\u201d Parker added. \u201cAnd Paige Bueckers got a pretty mid-range game. So\u2026bright future. Bright future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker pointed out that Gilgeous-Alexander, who doesn\u2019t rely heavily on three-pointers, helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to success while earning individual accolades. Last season, the star point guard averaged<\/a> 32.7 points, five rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. He shot 37.5% from three-point range.<\/p>\n

Currently completing her rookie campaign, Bueckers is averaging<\/a> 19 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting an impressive 46.6% from the field. She\u2019s connecting on 33.9% from beyond the arc, creating a statistical profile similar to Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, her record-breaking 44-point game against the Los Angeles Sparks provided concrete evidence of her successful mid-range shooting. She made 17 of 21 field goals that night, shooting 81% from the field.<\/p>\n

This performance has solidified Bueckers\u2019 position as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year while kick-starting broader conversations about mid-range shots. Many fans have compared Bueckers\u2019 game to Caitlin Clark\u2019s rookie season, believing Clark received more visibility because of her three-point shots from half-court.<\/p>\n

While Bueckers isn\u2019t making those long-distance shots, her mid-range jumper continues to generate the same level of excitement and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

How Do Other Analysts View Bueckers\u2019 Mid-Range Mastery?<\/p>\n

Additionally, Parker isn\u2019t the only analyst drawing comparisons between Bueckers\u2019 mid-range shooting and NBA icons.<\/p>\n

In a segment on his show, analyst Dan Patrick compared Bueckers and her shot selection to both Gilgeous-Alexander and 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching her, she had four three-pointers [in her 44-point game]. I think she made all four. But she loves the mid-range jump shot. It\u2019s like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Durant,\u201d Patrick said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like Gilgeous-Alexander, a veteran like Durant has weaponized the mid-range shot, rising above a league focused on perfecting the three-point shot.<\/p>\n

That being said, Bueckers\u2019 game should only improve over the coming years, hopefully leading to a WNBA championship with appropriate help from her teammates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is already making her mark as a superstar in the WNBA. Despite the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":184546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[62,67,132,68,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-184545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-sports","9":"tag-united-states","10":"tag-unitedstates","11":"tag-us","12":"tag-wnba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115112045935115192","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}