It’s easy to take greatness for granted. For the last four seasons, every first overall pick has also won Rookie of the Year. Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Paige Bueckers are all looking like the best players in their respective drafts. This is not a typical run, though. It’s not realistic to always expect the first overall pick to be the clear best out of the class, but does that have to mean disappointment for the team that picked first?
We’re in an era of hyperbole and comparison and devoted online fandom, and when the Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd first overall, it was immediately polarizing. Fudd is a charismatic personality with a charismatic game, which makes her one of basketball’s biggest rising stars, not to mention the narrative of her reunion with her past teammate and partner, Paige Bueckers, a major star in her own right. Popularity is a pendulum, and the more media attention someone receives, the more love and support they will receive from some, and scrutiny and criticism from others.
Unlike some years past, there was no clear frontrunner in the 2026 draft class. It was always inevitable that the best players of this draft would be in a race to prove to the fans who was actually the “rightful” first pick. It’s pretty unlikely this is actually a priority for the players themselves, but it will be how it’s framed regardless. This creates a clear dichotomy. If, as the first pick, Azzi wins rookie of the year, then the Wings made the right pick.
However, as it stands currently, Olivia Miles, who was selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx, is “winning”. She’s the best player on the best team, the engine and motor of the fine-tuned machine that is the Minnesota Lynx offense. Miles is averaging 19/5/6 to Fudd’s 13/2/2 on comparable minutes. Miles elevates her teammates to a greater extent and leads the league in point differential. There is plenty of season left, and anything can happen, but as it stands, Miles is looking to be the Rookie of the Year and the overall best player in this draft by a notable margin. So by our rigid dichotomy, Azzi Fudd is our “loser.” Dallas lost the draft and picked the wrong player. Her fans should feel embarrassed, and the Wings should fire their front office.
But this oversimplified hyperbolic narrative is clearly wrong, though. Olivia Miles is a better player than Fudd so far, but this truth needs to be held with a second; Azzi Fudd is awesome. Anyone who has watched a Wings game this season can see that. Her accuracy from deep is remarkable, if slightly streaky, and she’s an outstanding defender for a rookie guard. She is a good enough player to win Rookie of the Year in some year, but just not this year.
Sports discourse in the online age is a hot-take machine that demands no nuance, so these two truths seem to contradict each other. People who see Azzi Fudd’s fantastic performance want to drag down Olivia Miles and vice versa. On social media, Azzi fans and Olivia fans wage battle over the two players with the implied understanding that one has to be bad for the other to be good.
This is without even getting into the issue of fit. Minnesota needed a point guard badly, as a discombobulated offense led by shooting guard Courtney Williams was a factor in their disappointing playoff performance. Dallas needed anything but a starting point guard. Franchise player and MVP candidate Paige Bueckers was the only bright spot in a league-worst season last year. Fudd, on the other hand, has fit like a glove into the Wings and helped elevate them from a 10–34 season to a legitimate threat in just one offseason.
It’s not wrong to compare the top two picks; I’m doing it right now. It’s not wrong to engage in friendly banter either; by all means, talk your stuff, Dallas and Minnesota fans. It’s also not wrong to criticize a draft choice, but good faith conversation requires nuance. Both teams have the players they have, and both players look excellent for their team. If sports fans only measure success by being in first place in any given category, they will never be satisfied for any extended period of time. Ultimately, what Miles and Minnesota are doing is unrelated to Fudd and Dallas. Azzi Fudd is already a great player and on track to have a fantastic career and prove her worth as a first pick. Even if she never surpasses Miles, it won’t change that.
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