Olivia Miles struggled with right leg cramps in the Lynx’s 99-86 loss to the Liberty. She had to miss the team’s next game against the Sun, and Cheryl Reeve shared pregame that it probably wasn’t just a cramp.
“I think ultimately it wasn’t a cramp,” Reeve said, per a recording of the media availability by The Ballers Magazine. “So, we’re kind of taking the next step of imaging and that sort of things and trying to get a final answer exactly what we’re dealing with.”
She also noted that it was too early to know if Miles would be considered day-to-day or out for a few more games.
If Miles misses a few games, it won’t take away from her excellent first season and doesn’t mean she won’t be the favorite for Rookie of the Year anymore, but it gives Azzi Fudd a chance to steal the spotlight and remind everyone that she is also having a great rookie season.
Azzi Fudd has been playing well lately
After a slow start, Fudd eventually found her footing, earned a starting spot, and showed everyone why she was the number-one pick. She’s averaging 13.3 points on efficient shooting, including 38.4% from deep, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1 block.
Fudd may not be the dazzling scorer or passer Miles is, but she has had some great scoring outings, like a 26-point performance in an overtime win against Seattle. No rookie makes more 3-pointers per game than Fudd since Jovana Nogic cut her season with the Mercury short, and she finds ways to have an offensive impact while not being the focal point of the Wings’ system in the same way that Miles has been given the keys to the Lynx’s offense.
Moreover, Fudd has been strong defensively. She usually has to take on the toughest perimeter assignment and has been impactful in ways that the stat sheet doesn’t show—although the stat sheet paints a nice picture of Fudd’s defense. She is one of only seven players to average at least one block and one steal per game, and no guard has blocked more shots than her. In fact, she is the only guard in the league to average at least one block per game.
Overall, Miles’s rookie campaign has been more impressive so far, but the season isn’t over yet. A few strong outings from Fudd while Miles is out or not at 100% can still make the Rookie of the Year race more interesting than it promised to be just a few weeks ago.
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