The Dallas Wings improved to 4-3 on the 2026 WNBA season after their impressive 91-76 win over the New York Liberty on May 24.
Most impressive of all was the performance that rookie Azzi Fudd put together, as Sunday’s win was a breakout showing for the No. 1 pick of this year’s draft. She scored a career-high 24 points that included six made three-pointers (which broke the Wings’ franchise record for made threes in a game), while also adding 3 steals and 2 blocks in 32 minutes.
Anybody who watched Fudd’s college career with the UConn Huskies knows that she’s a world-class shooter and, therefore, was not surprised to watch her catch fire from behind the three-point line. However, some of the more underrated aspects of her game were on display against New York.
Fudd’s defense, for example, often isn’t discussed as much as her versatile offensive arsenal. But not only do her steals and blocks tally against the Liberty show how capable she is on that side of the floor, but one lockdown defensive moment against superstar forward Breanna Stewart proved that point even further.
Fudd switched on to Stewart in the second half and had to get physical with the much-bigger forward (and fellow former UConn star) as she went into the paint. When Stewart tried to get off a midrange shot, Fudd stripped the ball out of her hands, which went to her teammate Paige Bueckers and ended New York’s possession.
While this defensive effort from Fudd impressed many spectators, it didn’t seem to surprise Stewart, which she conveyed when speaking to the media after Sunday’s loss.
“[Fudd is] an incredible player, obviously. She was drafted number one for a reason. But her shot and her release is so quick, and so deadly,” Stewart said, per an X post from Geoff Magliocchetti.
She then added, “I think that she’s more than a three-point shooter. And people are going to start to see that as her game grows in the W.”
It’s cool to hear Stewart validate Fudd’s game in this way, especially because Fudd faced a lot of criticism after her slow start to this rookie campaign. But what Stewart said is now what everyone’s thinking about the No. 1 pick, given what fans saw on Sunday.
One would imagine that Fudd is going to build off this success as she continues to get comfortable and develop. And it seems that becoming a starter for Dallas is a likely next step for her.
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