Azzi Fudd’s rookie season got off to a slow start, but she officially laid all concerns to rest when she exploded for 24 points on 9-15 shooting from the field and 6-12 from behind the arc to help the Wings close out a 91-76 win over the Liberty.
She looked exactly like the Azzi Fudd the Wings were hoping to get when they drafted her with the first overall pick. She also impressed the competition, and Breanna Stewart sees a bright future for Fudd as she continues to get more comfortable in the WNBA.
“She’s more than a 3-point shooter, and people are going to start to see that as her game grows in the W,” Stewart said in a postgame media availability after the Liberty’s loss.
Fudd may never be the best player on a championship team in the WNBA, but, if she stays with the Wings, she doesn’t have to be. The Wings have Paige Bueckers for that. If Fudd can be a high-level 3-point shooter and defender next to Bueckers, that’s a win and a recipe for success for Dallas. If she can be more than that, the sky’s the limit for the former UConn teammates.
Azzi Fudd showed early on that she could impact games while struggling from three
3-point shooting is kind of Fudd’s thing. She is perhaps the best 3-point shooter ever to enter the WNBA. She moves incredibly well off the ball and has a quick release, which makes for a deadly combination on the wing. It’s no coincidence that Fudd’s best game of her young career coincided with the first game in which she took and made a bunch of 3-pointers.
Fudd didn’t get off many threes at first. She went 3-7 over her first four games, scoring mostly in the mid-range after attacking closeouts from the 3-point line. She took more than two 3-pointers for the first time against Atlanta, but only made one.
Her 6-12 3-point shooting against the Liberty was much more in line with what Wings fans imagined she would bring to the team. As Stewart said, Fudd is more than just a 3-point shooter, though. She made a significant impact on defense, tallying three steals and two blocks. She also got some layups off off-ball cuts and in fastbreak situations alongside three assists.
Fudd played 30 minutes for the first time this season and started the second half over Odyssey Sims. It might just be a matter of time until Jose Fernandez moves her to the starting lineup for good.
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