It's been a transformative year for Paige Bueckers' Dallas Wings. After Jose Fernandez took over the head coaching job from Chris Koclanes, the Wings have flipped the script. Now Bueckers finds herself playing under a familiar coaching style, one that she played under for five years before coming into the WNBAd.

Fernandez took over the HC position in October last year. Just 16 games into the 2026 season, the Wings already look revived, with a 10-6 run positioning them third in the Western Conference.

In a recent interview with CBS Sports, Bueckers said she is seeing similarities between Fernandez and her former UConn coach, Geno Auriemma.

"It's older school. It's definitely like tough love a lot of time," Bueckers said. "There is a level of accountability and a standard that is to be upheld. So, there is a culture that was set, an identity that was set, and we wanna uphold that within the team."

The Wings had the worst record last season, finishing with a 10-34 record, including a 10-game losing streak before their final game. They are now playing a different brand of basketball. Elaborating on the shift in the locker room, Bueckers added:

"He wants it to be a player-led team...and wants players to uphold that. His schemes, he plays a lot of the European-style, and it's been really fun to play this way."

In another interview earlier this week, Paige Bueckers had emphasized how Fernandez is like Auriemma "in terms of discipline and structure and the culture that he wants to build."

At UConn, Auriemma relies on game execution through sharing the ball rather than through his star player. Fernandez, his old friend, has followed a similar game plan.

In fact, Fernandez had picked Auriemma's brain on how he coached Paige Bueckers and also told him that she and former UConn star Azzi Fudd, who the Wings drafted first overall in 2026, were "absolutely amazing" to have on the team.

Paige Bueckers highlights her evolving offense under Jose Fernandez

During the same interview with CBS, Paige Bueckers said that there was a difference between the brand of basketball she played in her WNBA rookie year in 2025 and her second year.

"Last year I played a lot more off-ball, a lot more of the two," Bueckers said, adding, "so a lot of my actions were coming off of pin-downs...wide screens [and] ball screens, too.

Bueckers' overall field goal attempts have decreased by one shot so far this season. But she is shooting 1.4 more 3-pointers.

"But this year it's been a challenge to navigate hunting my own shot, finding my teammates' shot. I'm creating for others… It's been a fun challenge," the 24-year-old added.

Paige Bueckers' changing numbers on offense are indicative of the changes and perhaps more impactful basketball. Last season, she averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, shot 47.7% from the field, and 33.1 % from beyond the arc.

16 games in this year, she is averaging 18.7 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 39.4% from the 3-point line. The Wings are currently ranked fifth in the league with a 62.5% win rate.

Do you think the Jose Fernandez-led squad can rely on the same game plan as the playoffs get closer? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Yash Kotak