Paige Bueckers has played a lot of basketball in her life.
A lot.
And when the Dallas Wings guard got the moniker “Paige Buckets,” it was for a reason. Because she’s a walking bucket.
But, for the first time in a long time, in a May matchup against the Dream, the buckets didn’t come easy for Bueckers. And that’s because of the defense of Atlanta’s All-WNBA defender Rhyne Howard, who drew close to 90% of the coverage on Bueckers, holding her to just 7 points.
Seven.
That’s the fewest of her WNBA career, yes, but let’s take it a step further.
There were only three games where Bueckers scored fewer 7 seven points in her four years at UConn.
- 2 points, Feb. 27, 2022 vs. Providence
- 2 points, March 6, 2022 vs. Marquette
- 2 points, March 7, 2022 vs. Villanova
In those games, she played a combined 40:01 minutes, returning to the court from injury.
“Rhyne is locked in. I’ve seen it since training camp,” Smesko said after Howard’s home debut. “This has been a different approach for her since the beginning of the year. We are starting to see what she is capable of becoming. That was just an all-around, high-level exceptional game by Rhyne.”
A 6’2 guard, Howard was already one of the stars of not just the Dream — but of the league. But last year, in her first year under head coach Karl Smesko, she took another leap forward. And in the second year of the coach’s tenure, it’s been much of the same.
“It feels funny to say this, but Rhyne has taken some big steps forward,” Dream forward Naz Hillmon told The IX Sports. “Coach is asking her to do some specific things, and she’s doing them well.”
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Howard is a player whose strength lies in the eye of the observer.
Is it her defense, which led her to making the 2025 WNBA All-Defensive second team?
Sure, it is. She’s in the 98th percentile with a 95.5 defensive rating this season, which is up from her mark last year when she made the second-team all defense. Individual defensive rating is calculated by how many points the opponent scores per 100 possessions while the player is on the floor.
Is it her offense? Also yes.
She does hold the record for most 3-pointers in a game, with nine made 3-pointers in a game — and she did it twice.
In the Dream’s recent home game against the Connecticut Sun, Howard fell one shy of tying the mark again.
“I told you from the preseason to now and going forward, this is a different Rhy,” Smesko said after the game. “Rhyne is locked in, she has a different level to her. She’s been an All-Star, but she is taking us to another level and you can see it. Today she was huge for us. There were so many times we put her in a tough position late in the clock and she found a way to come through for us.”
The on-the-court play speaks for itself, but there’s also another element that isn’t seen as much by fans and outside observers.
It’s her leadership, and that can come in different forms, too.
“Rhyne makes life easier,” Angel Reese said. “She can score at all levels, and also brings an intensity to our team on the defensive end. She brings a high standard on every single possession. She’s just a great leader for us.”
2026 WNBA Injury Tracker
When Howard missed time over the last three seasons, she was still making a direct impact on the game. Whether it was when she was on a scooter at State Farm Arena in 2024 against the Indiana Fever, on the bench in the second-half of the season last year, or in the huddle against the Aces in the Dream’s home opener, Howard sets the tone for the Dream on and off of the court.
“I feel like she’s matured. She’s a pro now,” All-WNBA teammate Allisha Gray told The IX Sports. “She’s really tapping into her game for what she can be. I’ve always believed that she’s one of the best players in this league, and I really feel that this year she’s going to show why she is one of the best players in the league.”
And that’s where that third element is showing when it comes to elevating her place among the stars in the WNBA.
We know she can lock down defensively. We know that she can score with the best of them. But when the attention shifts to her, she is quick to uplift her teammates.
“I think she’s the missing piece,” Howard said about Reese joining the team. “We’re going to continue to build her confidence and let her know that we need her for every possession. I’ve been in her ear a lot about just staying composed, because I know that I’m going to need her in the long run. We need her to know her value to this team.”
It’s not just the vets, either.
Take for instance rookie Madina Okot. Okot, who only started playing basketball six years ago, elevated her draft stock in a season at South Carolina playing under head coach Dawn Staley.
Now, she’s in the WNBA and tasked with learning the terminology that Smesko uses.
She said it was her vets — including Howard — who have helped her understand it.
“Honestly, I feel like I was somewhat in a chemistry class,” Okot said. “But then it was mostly the vets that are around me that are always willing to translate whatever he’s saying to basketball terms.”
While Howard isn’t prone to bad games, when she does have have one, she has a history of bouncing back after an off day. Take last year for instance when she scored 3 points in a June 10 game against the Fever. In her very next time out on the court, she torched the Chicago Sky for 36 points.
It’s something that Reese has seen firsthand, and she’s glad she’s on the side of Howard now in a year where the Dream have title aspirations.
And for them to reach those, it’ll be because of Howard reaching the top of her game.
“All-Star caliber player. MVP-caliber player,” Reese said when asked what Howard’s potential is. “She doesn’t get enough credit for it. I’m grateful to be on this side.”
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