‘I Felt A Lot Better’: How Azzi Fudd Used Dallas Wings Preseason To Get Comfortable Before WNBA Debut vs. Indiana Fever

INDIANAPOLIS — Azzi Fudd played 16 minutes in her professional debut on April 30 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, picked up three fouls, and finished with 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting in the Dallas Wings’ 95-80 preseason win over the Indiana Fever.

Three days later in Austin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft started again, played 21 minutes, and finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in a 101-84 win over the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. Fudd will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday for the regular-season opener against Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

Azzi Fudd’s Shooting Brings New Dimension

The process began three weeks ago at College Park Center, where Fudd reported for her first professional training camp on April 19. Head coach Jose Fernandez had a clear opening message for his rookie.

“I had to yell at her and tell her, ‘Don’t pass up open shots,'” Fernandez told Dallas Hoops Journal after Day 1. “Especially in some of the actions we’re going to run for her, she better shoot the damn ball if she’s open. That’s what she does. She can’t pass up open shots. There are situations where the floor isn’t balanced or rebounding opportunities aren’t there, and we’ll talk about those, but she needs to do what she was brought here to do and space the floor.”

Fernandez had a roster reason for the early push. The Wings shot 30.4% from three as a team in 2025, last in the WNBA, on just 21.6 attempts per game. Fudd, a career 42.2% three-point shooter at UConn on 6.0 attempts per game across 115 games, was drafted to fix the league’s biggest spacing problem on a single roster.

Fudd, who played for Geno Auriemma at UConn alongside future first-round picks where the offense moved through reads and ball movement, said the message wasn’t new.

“Seems to be a common trend. I mean, I don’t know,” Fudd said. “I want to share the love, but remembering to shoot when I’m open. My teammates remind me of that. It will be an easy adjustment.”

She framed the directive as a team-first calculation rather than a green-light mandate.

“If I’m passing up open shots, the defense can play off me,” Fudd said. “But if I’m a threat, they have to guard me and respect me, and it opens things up for other people. So when I look at it that way, instead of thinking I’m just taking a bunch of shots, it helps me keep that team mindset.”

From Draft Night to First-Week Reps

The directive in camp landed in a player the Wings had spent months evaluating. When Dallas called Fudd’s name on April 13, Curt Miller laid out the front office’s case in the team’s draft-night statement.

“Azzi Fudd is one of the best shooters in our game today. She has a lightning-quick release and her movement off the ball is elite,” Miller said. “She competes hard defensively and is an efficient, unselfish player who knows how to win. In an outstanding draft class, she stood out to us not only with her basketball skills but with her intangibles. She is a great teammate and has outstanding basketball IQ.”

Miller doubled down at Fudd’s introductory press conference at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, where Fernandez and several teammates including Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha James, JJ Quinerly, and Li Yueru showed up to support the new No. 1 pick.

“We traveled all over the world watching this incredible draft class, but it all came back always to Azzi,” Miller said. “Words that we heard over and over again in the investigation of her was a winner, a competitor, a hard worker.”

Siegrist, entering her fourth WNBA season with Dallas after the team activated her option this offseason, pointed to the structural foundation Fudd brings from UConn.

“I just think the structure. Obviously, coming from Connecticut, that’s a really strong program. The structure within the offense, defense, and the standard every day, that’s huge,” Siegrist said in early camp. “Playing with Paige last year, I got to see that. I played against Azzi, but I hadn’t played with her until the last few days, which has been great. She’s been a great addition. Anyone who can shoot the ball that efficiently has a spot in this league.”

Grace Berger, also a guard in the camp competition, said her early reps with Fudd revealed more than the shooting reputation suggested.

“On the court, she can fit into any system. She’s obviously a great shooter, but there’s more to her game than I realized. She can drive, defend, and pick up full court,” Berger told Dallas Hoops Journal. “I’m excited to see her continue to grow as a pro.”

By Day 5 of camp, the staff was already running sets that used Fudd’s off-ball gravity to open lanes for other guards. Berger drove into a clean read off Fudd’s gravity in one such action in the open portion of practice.

The UConn Reunion

Fudd’s first day on the floor in a Wings uniform reunited her with Paige Bueckers for the first time on the same backcourt since the 2024-25 UConn season ended in a national championship and Fudd’s Most Outstanding Player honor at the women’s NCAA Tournament. The two had also played together with USA Basketball going back to the 2017 U16 National Team.

Bueckers had a clear read on what Fudd brings.

“She’s a 40-plus percent three-point shooter, so her spacing alone helps us,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal during training camp. “She brings versatility and makes a big impact on both ends.”

By the time the Wings moved to 5-on-5 sessions on Day 3, the chemistry was visible. On one possession in the open portion of practice, Fudd curled off a screen toward the middle of the floor and Bueckers found her in her shooting pocket for a three-pointer in rhythm.

Fernandez explained the front office’s broader thinking in his Day 3 media availability.

“When you look at roster construction, we needed leadership in the locker room and specific things at different positions. That’s what we addressed in free agency and the draft,” Fernandez said. “We took Azzi Fudd because she was the best player for this franchise and a great fit in my system. She has a unique skill set. She can really shoot the basketball and create off the bounce. She’s also improved defensively.”

Fudd, who watched Bueckers’ rookie season from a distance during her own fifth year at UConn, used that vantage point as preparation.

“The W is a different game than college. Seeing her, she had the ball in her hands a lot more, a lot of pick-and-rolls. The physicality and the pace, those are all adjustments,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal during camp.

She had also gotten an early read on Fernandez before the season began.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. I knew him a little in college from playing against him and meeting him then,” Fudd said. “Then from dinner, from phone calls, and now the first day of training camp, I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”

The Preseason Opener at Indianapolis

On April 30, Fudd boarded the Wings’ team flight to Indianapolis for the preseason opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Hours before her first professional game, she summed up the moment in a single word.

“Everything,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal at shootaround. “We’ve been practicing for almost two weeks, so just getting the chance to put everything we’ve been working on to the test is exciting. I want to see how it all translates, both what the team has been working on and what I’ve been working on individually.”

Alanna Smith, signed in free agency this offseason as the reigning WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, was the veteran starter set to debut alongside Fudd. Smith offered a message for her rookie teammates as she prepared for her first game in a Wings uniform.

“I think it’s about having a sense of gratitude and remembering where you came from. This is the best league in the world, so having the opportunity to play against some of the best players is really special,” Smith told Dallas Hoops Journal at shootaround. “Just soak it all in and be yourself. There’s no need to try to be something you’re not. Play to your strengths. I think the rookies have been doing a great job so far, and I have no doubt they’ll continue to do well.”

The Bueckers-Fudd partnership goes back nearly a decade through the 2017 USA Basketball U16 team, four years at UConn, and the 2025 national championship before they shared an opening preseason backcourt in Indianapolis. Bueckers said the reunion at the WNBA level needed no feeling-out period.

“We’ve been playing together for a long time, through USA Basketball and college, so it’s organic chemistry,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal pregame. “We picked up right where we left off. We understand each other’s tendencies and how to play off one another, and we’re focused on helping each other be at our best.”

Fudd started alongside Odyssey Sims, Bueckers, Siegrist, and Smith, opened with a smooth jumper, and finished with 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes. She picked up three fouls. Fernandez said postgame the foul trouble didn’t change his approach.

“She had those three (fouls) right. We tried to get her on some flares and pin downs. She’ll be fine,” Fernandez said. “I liked her aggressiveness off the bounce she had on the one that went in-and-out. Get one under her belt and now move on to Sunday.”

Fudd’s own takeaway from her debut centered on the connection between the team’s defense and offense.

“When our defense was connected, and we had help-side coverage, it helped us get stops, push the ball, and build momentum,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal postgame. “When we weren’t turning the ball over or getting called for offensive fouls, our offense was flowing, the ball was moving, and we were getting great shots and the looks we wanted.”

Fudd had identified the WNBA’s biggest jump from college before that game began.

“Everyone on the court is talented, smart, and strong,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal pregame. “You can’t take an offensive or defensive possession off, and that’s something that’s really stood out.”

The Aces Game in Austin

The preseason finale May 3 at Moody Center brought a different test. The Aces returned A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray off the 2025 championship roster. Smith was upgraded from questionable to available before tip-off after managing a left quad injury through camp.

Fudd started again and looked more comfortable. She finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in 21 minutes, her first double-figure scoring outing as a professional.

“I definitely felt a lot more comfortable out there tonight than I did the other night. I think each game is going to get a little bit better,” Fudd said postgame. “Not easier, but just more comfortable, getting used to the flow, the physicality, and who I’m playing against.”

The Wings rolled to a 101-84 win, with five players in double figures. Bueckers had 11 points and a team-high 9 assists in 21 minutes. James added 18 points off the bench. Smith had 12 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes before exiting in the first half after taking an elbow to the face from Wilson on a steal attempt that left her bloodied.

Early WNBA Lessons Amid the Adjustment Process

The WNBA opened its 2026 preseason with a tighter officiating standard, an emphasis discussed by commissioner Cathy Engelbert in the lead-up to the season after a 2025 cycle that produced multiple coach fines for criticizing officials. Fever head coach Stephanie White said this week she expected calls to come early and consistently as players adjust. Fudd picked up two fouls in Austin, one of them on a play in which she lifted out of the way of a Wilson drive in the third quarter and was whistled anyway.

Fudd’s response from the postgame podium in Austin drew laughs from teammates Jessica Shepard and James, seated next to her on the dais.

“Honestly, I feel more confused. I thought you could be physical in the W, but anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul,” Fudd said. “I’m not really sure when to be physical, so I’m still figuring that out.”

Shepard joked that Fudd was still figuring out press conferences too because she “may get hit” with a fine. Per a report from Front Office Sports, the league did not fine the rookie for the comments. Fudd was whistled for five total personal fouls across the two preseason games.

Fudd built her UConn career around a quick, repeatable jumper and entered the WNBA as the consensus best shooter in the 2026 draft class. She also entered with a college injury history that limited her availability across multiple seasons, including a 2024 ACL tear. The Wings have built her early role around movement off screens, flares, and pin-downs, sets Fernandez referenced after the Indianapolis game.

One of the key lessons Fudd learned in preseason is that her release was actually already quick enough for the WNBA level and she didn’t need to rush to get it off. She realized she can take her time.

“What I did notice was that I was quickening my shot even though I didn’t need to. And so when I started to rush, that’s when my shot’s off a little bit,” Fudd said Wednesday. “It’s just settling into the pace a little bit faster, but still trusting my shot. The speed of my shot is perfect. I don’t need to change that.”

The shooting tempo was one piece of a broader pace adjustment Fudd flagged Wednesday in Arlington.

“The pace, the physicality, the strength of the players. I feel like a lot of my takeaways were like, ‘Okay, I feel comfortable here, but it’s gonna take a few games,'” Fudd said. “Even the second game, I felt a lot better, a lot more comfortable out there than the first, offensively and defensively.”

Veterans Around Her, Coaching Approach Built for Patience

Fudd has played alongside several veteran starters and rotation pieces through camp. Smith has been the starting center alongside Fudd. Shepard, who led the WNBA in field goal percentage last season, joined Dallas as a free agent and made her Wings debut in Austin. Arike Ogunbowale, the Wings’ all-time leading scorer, returned to practice this week after her offseason stint in China. Sims has run the second unit through camp.

“Having vets on the team that are vocal, experienced, willing to kinda pull me aside and just tell me what they see without me having to ask for it, is incredible,” Fudd said Wednesday. “They can see the wheels in my brain turning. They’re like, ‘Okay, do this here. Do that.’ Having people that have been around the game longer than you, know the game better than you, it’s always gonna help. And our vets are incredible.”

Ogunbowale’s return adds a perimeter shot creator who consistently draws double-teams to a roster already heavy with shooting.

“You look at our roster, and we have so many people, Arike included, that can spread and draw different defenders, and just make it hard for everyone to guard,” Fudd said. “And that makes it fun because then it opens up so many things for whether it’s me, Paige, a big. The floor is just completely wide open for everyone.”

Fernandez took over Dallas’ head coaching job this offseason after a long run building South Florida’s women’s basketball program. Fudd has now logged her first month in his system.

“He’s intense, but he’s also fun. He makes jokes. He’s funny,” Fudd said. “But he has the highest expectations for us, and that’s never gonna change.”

Shepard arrived in Dallas after the Italian league championship with Beretta Famila Schio days before the Austin trip. She played significant minutes alongside Smith with the Minnesota Lynx last season, and her quick fluency in Fernandez’s system stood out to Fudd from the first practice.

“I was so impressed that she came in and knew plays. I’ve been here and I’m still confused, and she came in knowing everything,” Fudd told Dallas Hoops Journal. “The transition seemed seamless, which was super impressive, but that goes to show, like, she’s a vet. She’s been here before. She knows what to do, how to take care of all those little things. She knows the game. She knows how to read who she’s playing with. She’s a quick learner, and she’s super smart.”

The off-court bonds have come together quickly, too.

“We’ve gone out to eat a couple times, done some line dancing. Gone to a movie,” Fudd said. “I’m excited for all the other activities we’re gonna do together.”

The Dallas Wings Have Embraced Azzi Fudd

Fudd’s preseason production climbed from 4 points in 16 minutes in the opener at Indianapolis to 12 points in 21 minutes in Austin, where she added 3-of-4 free throws as a starter alongside Bueckers. Through six camp practices and two preseason games sharing the backcourt with Fudd, Bueckers has had the closest in-game read of any teammate.

“She’s gotten to all her spots. She’s been aggressive, and she’s shooting the ball without hesitation, so that’s what we ask of her,” Bueckers said Wednesday. “She got drafted and she’s on this team to shoot and score the ball. She’s learning the physicality of the WNBA and learning how to play defensively. There’s a lot of different schemes and terminology, so to continue to stay in communication and get more reps, she’s only gonna get better.”

Ogunbowale, who returned to practice this week from a right ankle injury and her offseason stint in China, weighed in Tuesday with the highest praise of the camp.

“Having a sharpshooter like Azzi is lethal. She’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen, honestly,” Ogunbowale said. “And the release is so fast, so it’s just like having her being able to space the floor, and she’s aggressive too, she can get to the basket.”

Miller said Fudd’s spacing on the perimeter is one of the biggest reasons the new-look roster will be hard to guard.

“When you look at this roster, Paige, Arike, Azzi, along with the front line, it’s going to be tough to guard us,” Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Now you add Jess and Alanna and involve them in pick-and-roll situations with Paige, it’s going to open up a lot for Arike and Azzi on the perimeter.”

Up Next

The Wings open the 2026 regular season Saturday at 12 p.m. CT against the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on ABC.

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