‘Smart Move,’ ‘Makes No Sense’ — WNBA World Divided As Wings Decide To Limit Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale’s Minutes
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup had plenty of attention on the limited minutes given to Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese, with their reduced roles becoming a major talking point throughout Team USA’s run.
The Americans ultimately lifted the trophy after defeating France in the final, and the players have now returned to the WNBA. But Bueckers has once again found herself at the center of a minutes debate. This time, with her Dallas Wings teammates.
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Latest Update Regarding Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale
According to WNBA reporter Melissa Triebwasser, the Wings have already secured a playoff berth and plan to manage the minutes of Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and Jessica Shepard during their final three regular-season games. The plan begins with Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix Mercury.
The decision immediately sparked discussion across the WNBA world.
While some viewed the move as a sensible precaution ahead of the playoffs, others questioned why Dallas would reduce the playing time of three of its most important contributors while the regular season is still underway.
One influencer called the Wings’decision a “smart move,” particularly because of Bueckers’ recent knee issue.
After Wednesday’s practice with Dallas, Bueckers explained that a flare-up of patellar tendinitis in her right knee had forced her to take a cautious approach during the FIBA Women’s World Cup. She played only a few minutes in the gold-medal game against France as Team USA secured its fifth consecutive World Cup title.
With the playoffs approaching, giving Bueckers additional recovery time could allow her to enter the postseason in better condition. The same logic can apply to Ogunbowale and Shepard, who have carried significant workloads throughout Dallas’ breakthrough season.
Still, some influencers were far from convinced by the decision.One argued, “This makes no sense.”
Bueckers is averaging 20.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. Ogunbowale is contributing 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
Shepard has been one of the Wings’ most productive all-around players with 14.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Those numbers explain why some fans are uncomfortable with seeing their minutes reduced.
Another influencer took a more humorous approach to the situation, jokingly pointing out that Wings head coach Jose Fernandez knows when to limit the time of the team’s players. They wrote, “So he does know how to limit player minutes…..”
One influencer took a completely different approach to the Wings’ decision, suggesting that the team should simply take things a step further and skip straight to the playoffs.
“Just skip to the playoffs, bruh everyone’s over it lmfao,” the influencer said.
Whether fans agree with the strategy or not, the decision has created another debate around how teams should handle their stars before the biggest games of the season.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.