Sug Sutton opened her first public day with the Dallas Wings by making a comparison that pulls a straight line through two eras: "I played with Diana Taurasi, and Paige kind of reminds me of DT," she said after signing a rest-of-season contract on Sunday. Sutton is set to debut Monday for the Wings, and she will wear No. 0.
The remark was not about shots or statistics. "For me, it’s their personalities, their leadership, and the way they carry themselves," Sutton said, and then folded the memory of a career milestone into the observation: "I had the opportunity to play with Diana and be there when she reached 10,000 career points, and that was an incredible experience." Diana Taurasi became the WNBA's first 10,000-point scorer.
Sutton emphasized that the parallel is personal and immediate. "Just being able to witness greatness up close and be her teammate was special," she said, and later added, "One thing about Diana is that she expected greatness from everyone around her" — a trait Sutton sees in Paige Bueckers. "I think Paige is very similar in that regard. When I watch Paige, she reminds me so much of DT."
Those lines matter to the Wings beyond praise. Sutton arrived with a clear idea of how she will slot in: organize the offense, make plays off the dribble to create shots for the team’s scorers and supply perimeter defense and energy. "Great players make things easier, and Paige and Azzi add to that," Sutton said, naming Azzi Fudd alongside Bueckers as players whose presence simplifies defensive rotations and scoring opportunities.
The comparison carries weight because Sutton brings firsthand experience of elite standards. She said she witnessed Taurasi expect excellence from teammates and that being near that standard shaped her own expectations. Putting that perspective beside Bueckers — who, Sutton noted, is "exactly the same person in real life" as she appears on social media — frames how Sutton expects to learn and to contribute. "I’m excited to learn from her and get to know her better," she said. "I think there’s so much greatness ahead for her and for what she’s going to do for the game. I’m excited to be a part of that and excited to be her teammate."
There is an immediate practical wrinkle. The Wings’ backcourt has been thinned by an ankle injury to veteran guard Odyssey Sims, and Sutton is stepping into a rotation that could require quicker adaptation than normal. Her praise of Bueckers as a leader is both an endorsement and a preparation: Sutton is offering to follow that lead while taking on playmaking and defensive duties the team needs.
How Sutton’s Taurasi comparison translates into on-court results is the story’s tension. Sutton has described the qualities she hopes to bring — ball pressure, creation off the bounce, organization — but whether she will be asked to carry heavy minutes right away or be eased into the Wings’ sets is unresolved. The coaching staff’s choices and the pace of Sims’ recovery will shape that decision.
What readers will see first is concrete: Sutton’s debut Monday in No. 0. It will be the first measurable test of whether her experience around Taurasi and her admiration for Bueckers turn into immediate floor leadership, or whether Sutton will begin as a specialist who grows into a larger role. Either way, her arrival signals that the Wings are supplementing scoring with a guard who expects high standards and is ready to chase them in Dallas.
