Paige Bueckers says quiet part out loud about expectations placed on Caitlin Clark

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is far from your average rookie.

The former UConn star who capped off her illustrious career with an NCAA championship for Storrs entered the WNBA with ridiculously high expectations thrust upon her considering she had, at one time, been a more highly touted prospect than the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark.

Bueckers has been able to mostly back up those expectations in her first year, already surpassing Clark for the fastest player to reach 200 points and 50 assists and firmly cementing herself in the race for Rookie of the Year alongside players like Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron.

However, Bueckers knows that the expectations placed on her are similar, if not greater, to those placed on Clark. And, the first year guard had a firm statement on just how difficult it must be for Clark to be working through those right now as she faces down the first injury woes of her career.

"The pressure that she's put on every single night to perform at the level that she does, it's inhumane, really, to expect people to be perfect and to not have off games or off nights. If she doesn't go 8-for-10 from 3, people are questioning things. It's unfair to have to deal with that," said Bueckers during shootaround ahead of the Wings' contest against the Fever on Friday.

It was set to be their first face off of their respective WNBA careers, but Clark is sitting out for a second game in a row with a lingering groin injury.

Bueckers gets real about expectations placed on Clark

Bueckers added during her shoot around availability that she remains in awe of how well Clark has been handling the added pressure of not just being one of the most electric names in women's sports, but in sports overall.

"Like she talked about, just being able to give yourself grace and know that you are not perfect and there's going to be ups and downs. There's going to be good games. There's going to be bad games. But as long as you keep it forward, keep pushing and keep learning and keep growing from game to game, that's all you can ask for," said Bueckers in reference to criticism around Clark's recent play, which has seen a major slump since returning from an earlier quad injury.

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The two young stars are making their mark on the league and women's sports as a whole, even if media tries to bury them after poor performances. Those games happen, and for Clark, going through these ups and downs related to injuries is a brand new playing field for the ultra-competitive guard.