With Caitlin Clark's Fever and Paige Bueckers' Wings set for clash, the future of the WNBA is on display

Expect it to be the first of many.

When it happens, that is.The intertwined nature of the rise of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, the two best point guards in the 2020 recruiting class, hinged on injuries.

Their first meeting on the WNBA stage is no different, delivering yet another reminder that time and career trajectories are fickle.Clark is questionable to play when Bueckers Dallas Wings host the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday (7:30 p.m.

ET, ION).

The Fever announced on Thursday that Clark sustained a left groin injury, and would not play in the Fever's game against the Sparks.If they do take the court together, it will be only the third time the dueling top-five prospects clash.

Theres little doubt it wont be the last.

The duo came up through USA Basketball together in the youth ranks, took over the NCAA basketball chatter as regular Final Four stars, and are cementing their futures in the womens basketball space.

Theyre the young faces of the league, backed with major endorsement deals and poised to take a leadership role in growing the game when the veterans step away.

Eventually, theyll take the place of dueling MVP contenders and Finals clashes.

(Although, Aja Wilson and Breanna Stewart aren't going anywhere yet.) In the coming Olympic and World Cup cycles, the duo is on track to once again team up for Team USA on the senior national team.Already, the former prospects are swapping WNBA records.

Bueckers became the fastest player to reach 200 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in an overtime loss to Washington.

She did it in her 11th game, besting the 12 of Clark, Cynthia Cooper and Andrea Stinson.Add it to the history books Paige Bueckers is the fastest player in @WNBA history to reach 200 PTS & 50 AST! @albertapp | #WingsUppic.twitter.com/Mu1k1rVs5u Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) June 23, 2025Bueckers began settling into her pro career these last few weeks.

Shes averaging 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists on a shooting split of 45.7/30.8/85.1.

Clark averaged 19, 5.7 and 8.4 as a rookie with a 41.7/34/90.1 shooting split.

Her point total (769), assists (337) and turnovers (223) are the most by a rookie in league history.

She and Bueckers are the only rookies to average at least 15 points and five assists per game.While they dont need to be incessantly compared to each other, its difficult to look past the interlaced timelines.

In a history of push-and-pull between the two, is it shifting again?Without Clark, Bueckers performance would take center stage on the WNBAs night of appointment viewing.

The Wings moved the game to the larger 20,000-seat arena downtown and announced it officially sold out at about the same time the Fever listed Clark as out for the first game of their back-to-back.The two stars necessitated the change in venue.

Both wear a heavy crown, though theyre often spoken about in different tones.Collegiate scheduling limited contests between them, much as it does for No.

1 picks in the leagues history.

And injuries played an outsized role in their past.They met twice in college.

The first as freshmen in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, a thrilling entry point for a national audience.

Bueckers, the No.

1 overall recruit, held all the acclaim then as a generational talent in a long line of Huskies greats hoping to tie Stewart with four titles in four years.

Surrounded by more future-pro talent, Bueckers walked into the next round over an outmatched Iowa team, 92-72.Knee injuries limited Bueckers sophomore year and an ACL tear kept her out of her junior season, during which UConn bested Iowa again in a non-conference, neutral-site game.

As the year wore on, the fourth-ranked Clark rose to national prominence in a charge to the NCAA all-time scoring title.The second meeting played out on a far larger and brighter stage.

It was as much a result of the Final Four spotlight as of their roles in introducing fans to the womens game via their talent and NIL deals.

Iowa advanced to its second consecutive national title game, and third in program history, behind a 71-69 win over UConn.

It was the infamous offensive foul game that 14.2 million watched play out.Indiana made its official selection of Clark at No.

1 the next week and went on to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Clark broke record after record.

So, too, did the TV networks airing the games.Bueckers stayed at UConn for a redshirt season, earning her ultimate championship confetti moment this past April before joining the Wings as the top pick.

The initial weeks were rocky under a first-year head coach and front office attempting to bring the organization up to snuff.

But theyve won three of their last four, including against Golden State and Atlanta.

The loss was by three to Washington in overtime.The Fever are mired in a stretch of turmoil.

There are glimpses of a title-contending roster, followed by windows of one destined for a first-round exit.

Clark, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson all missed time.

DeWanna Bonner, the headline free-agent signing, is no longer with the team.In truth, Friday nights clash is likely a footnote in their story, whether Clark plays or not.

As both would say, theyre still far away from who they and their teams can be.

Its akin to that Sweet 16 matchup, knowing a Final Four is likely on the way..

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