Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers targets drawing more contact and increasing free-throw attempts, refining her already elite scoring with a strategic "foul bait" focus.
Paige Bueckers spent her rookie season in the WNBA redefining expectations, but as she prepares for a return to competitive action this offseason, the reigning Rookie of the Year is focused less on what she has already proven and more on what she believes is missing from her game.
Nearly four months after her debut campaign with the Dallas Wings concluded, Bueckers is now playing 3x3 basketball with Unrivaled, viewing it as an opportunity to sharpen specific areas of her offensive profile. Chief among them: drawing more contact and turning it into points at the free-throw line.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Bueckers outlined her offseason priorities while reflecting on a year in which she emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic scorers without relying heavily on foul shots.
“I want to work on my left hand more, and I want to get to the free-throw line more,” Bueckers said. “So lowkey, I’m working on a little foul bait.”
Bueckers’ rookie season was defined by efficiency, versatility and scoring explosions that immediately placed her among the WNBA’s elite. She set a rookie single-game scoring record with 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks in August and finished the season fifth in the league in scoring at 19.2 points per game. Yet despite that production, only 19.5 percent of her points came at the free-throw line.
Among the league’s top 10 scorers, only Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Mitchell generated a lower percentage of their offense from foul shots — a notable statistical outlier for a player who routinely attacked off the dribble and operated in traffic.
The concept of “foul baiting” remains a polarizing topic across basketball, often associated with subtle movements such as pump fakes, body positioning and contact initiation designed to draw whistles. In the NBA, the approach has been most prominently linked to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has ranked among the league leaders in free-throw attempts this season.
Bueckers acknowledged Gilgeous-Alexander’s influence but emphasized that her interest extends beyond simply seeking fouls. Instead, she is studying the nuance of how elite scorers create advantages in confined spaces.
“I’m working on the Shai shoulder bump into my midrange pull-up,” Bueckers said.
That distinction reflects how Bueckers views her own offensive evolution. The self-described “big guard” has already proven she can score at all three levels, from deep shooting range to off-ball movement and transition finishes. The next step, she believes, is leveraging physicality more effectively — not to change her style, but to expand it.
The offseason 3x3 environment offers a unique laboratory for that development. With more space, fewer players and constant on-ball reps, Bueckers can experiment with contact-driven scoring and left-hand creation without the constraints of a full WNBA system.
For a player who already authored one of the most impactful rookie seasons in league history, the emphasis on incremental improvement underscores her long-term outlook. Bueckers is not chasing highlights or validation; she is chasing margins — the small advantages that separate prolific scorers from complete offensive engines.
If those efforts translate into more trips to the line next season, the league’s defenders may soon find that stopping Bueckers requires more than staying in front.