Paige Bueckers appears to have dodged an injury scare. After impressing in Team USA's 94-61 win over China in the FIBA World Cup opener, the point guard was back at practice on Saturday. Bueckers showed off her hops, jumping high enough to touch the rim to make sure it was the right height. While she touched the rim, she almost landed awkwardly.
It was a scary looking incident, but she looked okay, smiled and appeared to be checking her knee. Still, it could have been a lot worse considering Bueckers' injury history.
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Fans didn't take it well and reacted with alarm on X.
Here's a look at some of the reactions.
"Paige don't do that 😣 I'm worried about your knee 🥲"
"Paige we need you healthy for playoffs. chill girlie pop 😅🙏🏽"
Not many players can overcome a major ACL injury, win an NCAA championship and continue playing at a high level at such a young age. That is one of the reasons fans are so concerned whenever Bueckers has a scary looking moment on the court.
Bueckers has a huge following, so fans can react strongly to anything that could potentially put her health at risk. Thankfully, she appeared to be okay and will be good to go against Italy later today.
That is especially important given the season Bueckers has been having. She is enjoying a career-best year and helped lead the Dallas Wings to the playoffs after three years of rebuilding. With the postseason ahead, her health and role will be vital to how far the Wings can go. She is averaging 20.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 5.9 APG this season.
Paige Bueckers made her senior World Cup debut on Friday against China. It is fair to say that the Dallas Wings guard made an impact, as she recorded 14 points, four assists and two steals in the 94-61 win.
While Bueckers was in foul trouble in the first quarter, she did not look out of place in the slightest during the second half. Team USA head coach Kara Lawson had plenty of praise for the skilled guard following the win.
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"I did think Paige was really key for us in that second half," Lawson said. "Playmaking, I thought Caitlin and Paige played off one another really well against that zone. They both can stretch the floor, and they both can play-make and get into the gaps. So I thought they did that beautifully."
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Clearly, Bueckers left a strong first impression during her first World Cup game. Given how her debut went, she certainly made a case for herself to start or even play more minutes against Italy.
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