The most recent loss for the Dallas Wings was a rough one, as they went down 94-76 to the Golden State Valkyries. It wasn’t any closer than it looked, with the Wings pretty much docile from just about start to finish. It’s disturbing for a team that had been having the most successful season since it moved to Texas. The one thing this game had in common with their league-worst season last year? No Azzi Fudd.
The rookie, who was ruled out with a knee injury, was most known for being a sharpshooter when she was drafted with the first overall pick from UConn, but she has proven herself as a vital defensive cog in the Wings system. She’d be quite a long shot for both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, but if Rookie Defensive Player of the Year were a thing, she’d be my pick. She’s been excellent on the ball as a perimeter defender and even in the paint as a capable shot blocker. She has the most steals (52) and blocks (25, tied with Flau’jae Johnson) of any rookie this season.
Fudd’s absence was harshly apparent in a game where the Wings gave up 94 points to a Golden State team with a normally subpar offense. Her previous game was also a loss as her team blew a 20-point lead and, again, allowed over 90 points from a team with a poor offensive rating; this time the Mystics. Her performance was not up to her usual standard with only two made shots to five fouls, and three turnovers. It’s possible she was bothered by this knee injury already at this point, but either way, the Wings rely on their rookie, especially on the offensive end.
Wings are moving up but not in a straight line
While this season is a massive improvement over the last one, the current trajectory of the season is not positive. The one bright spot of last season was their exceptional Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, who was not enough to save the team from a 10-34 record. This season was bolstered by an even better Bueckers and key free agency signings like Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith, the latter of whom is finally playing like the DPOY she was last year, and of course, drafting Azzi Fudd. However, this team has consistently struggled with playoff teams, and without Fudd and Bueckers and Shepard not playing up to their standards as of late, they risk dropping all the way to the bottom of the playoff standings.
This is the best incarnation of the Dallas Wings yet, but it shouldn’t be for long. It’s unlikely the consistently inconsistent Arike Ogunbowale is the best fit with Paige Bueckers. If there’s a way to make that duo match the sum of its parts Chris Koclanes never figured it out, and Jose Fernandez hasn’t yet. On the other hand, Fudd and Smith are the perfect complementary pieces to Bueckers and Shepard, since both are able to hit open threes and score around the rim to take advantage of stellar playmaking while filling a rim-protecting gap.
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