Would UConn women’s basketball freshman Paige Bueckers be the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft? Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird think so

UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers hasn’t even finished her freshman season, with the top-seeded Huskies onto a Final Four meeting with Arizona after taking down Baylor 69-67 in a thrilling Elite Eight matchup Monday night.

Bueckers isn’t even eligible to leave for the WNBA at this point. But would she go No. 1 overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft if she were? UConn alums and WNBA superstars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi think so.

“There was a conversation even a couple months ago about ‘would Paige go No. 1,’” Bird said.

“Yeah, she would.”

Bird and Taurasi, who will be going for their fifth Olympic gold medals this summer, spoke to the media from San Antonio, where the USA Basketball Women’s National Team is conducting a four-day training camp in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

“Draft picks, to me, are investments,” continued Bird, who’s entering her 18th season with the Seattle Storm. “And there’s no doubt in my mind there’s people who would want to invest in a player like Paige right now in this year’s draft.”

Taurasi, who recently appeared in a video from Bird’s new media company saying Bueckers “is the best player in [college] basketball already,” agreed with her former UConn and current USA Basketball teammate.

“Everyone would pick [Paige] No. 1 right now,” Taurasi said. “And Caitlin [Clark from Iowa] would be No. 2, hands down.”

The conversation is a moot point with Bueckers or Clark unable to enter the draft. They have to either graduate or leave after their junior seasons. That meansthe 2023 Draft, when they would meet the league’s requirements by turning 22 that calendar year.

Bueckers and Clark may headline this outstanding freshman class, but they aren’t the only first-year stars making noise across the country. There’s Cameron Brink from Stanford, Hailey Van Lith at Louisville, Maryland’s Angel Reese, even UConn’s teammate Aaliyah Edwards, just to name a few.

The youngsters are so good, so promising, that fans are thinking ahead to what this class will do once in the pros. Many are even wondering whether some freshmen are already pro ready and whether the WNBA’s eligibility rules should be changed to introduce a one-and-done rule like the men’s side.

“I think the beauty is, there’s a reason why we’re talking about it now, because these players are showing their talent, they’re showing how good they are,” Bird said. “I have zero doubt that those players would get picked high.”

Part of the league’s decision to change its requirements may depend on whether they can expand to more teams than the current 12. The new WNBA/WNBPA collective bargaining agreement runs through 2027.

“I don’t really like to compare it to the men,” Bird said. “The men are dealing to this day with their own issues in terms of draft eligibility, they’re trying to get rid of the one and done. It’s a fluid thing so I think that’ll be the case for us. It did come up in the last CBA negotiations. It was just not the priority in the moment.

“I think players should have a choice. Always. What’s interesting though is the whole name and likeness thing as it pertains to college. I don’t know [if I would’ve left UConn early]. We were on ESPN all the time, we were getting all kinds of love and popularity from it. Imagine if you could make money with the name and likeness at the same moment, like maybe it’s the best of both worlds.”

“I think the next step is to have it as an option. Will kids do it? Probably not. But you should have that option,” Taurasi added.

Bueckers, the Huskies’ star point guard, averaged 19.7 points and 6.1 assists per game in the regular season and has only elevated her game throughout the NCAA Tournament, where she’s averaging 22.5 points following a 28-point outing against Baylor. She became only the third freshman ever to be named an Associated Press first-team All-American and is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.

“You watch the Paige play and she’s incredibly skilled,” Bird said. “There’s really not much she doesn’t do well on the court. For her, it’s just going to be about continuing to perfect those things.

“It’s just always going to be about, she’s going to be the hunted. I think for the remainder of her career, and kudos to her because she’s put herself on that pedestal, everyone’s going to want to take her down. And that is where the challenge will lie.”

Beyond her eye-popping stats, as Monday’s game showed, Bueckers has a tendency to step up when UConn needs it most:. Between her dagger three at Tennessee and 31 points against South Carolina, that was well evident before her big second half against Baylor.

“She has this thing that comes to her very naturally in pressure situations and big moments,” Taurasi said. “And that’s when you know you have a really, really good player. When the stakes are the highest, when the pressure is the highest, and everyone knows you have to do it and you actually get it done. She’s been so impressive on so many fronts. It’s just fun to watch her play basketball.”

Could Taurasi, who’s 38 and will enter her 17th season with the Phoenix Mercury this season, still be around by the time Bueckers comes along in the pro ranks?

“I would love to share the court with her. I don’t know if I’d want to play against her, though,” Taurasi said with a laugh.

Both Taurasi and Bird watched Bueckers rally her team from down 10 to beat Baylor Monday night, and had thoughts on the controversial no-call on DiJonai Carrington’s potentially game-winning drive.

“My take on it? Everybody’s talking about it and that’s what matters,” Bird said. “Having storylines and conversations surrounding women’s basketball, even if it’s a little controversial, even if it gets a little heated, that’s good for the growth of the game, so I’m excited to see that. And you know what, if there’s no call, there’s no foul, right?”

It took some arm-twisting for Taurasi to provide her thoughts on the final play.

“If I was the one shooting, I’d be pretty mad right now,” she said.

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com