DHJ Quick Take: Cori Close Outlines Azzi Fudd’s Defensive Impact for the Wings
- The Invisible Perimeter Impact: While back-to-back 12-point outings dominate the headlines, UCLA head coach Cori Close noted that rookie Azzi Fudd’s premier contribution against Chicago was her elite defensive prowess, systematically neutralizing the Sky’s backcourt creation across 28 high-leverage minutes.
- Advanced Metric Efficiency Leader: The No. 1 overall pick has provided hyper-efficient production off the bench, logging a cumulative plus-33 rating that leads the entire Dallas roster—sitting just ahead of Arike Ogunbowale (plus-32) and Maddy Siegrist (plus-31). Fudd currently commands an elite 70.3% true shooting percentage alongside a mid-range field-goal clip that sits at the top of the league.
- Navigating the Above-the-Shoulders Leap: Fudd detailed that the steepest learning curve in her professional transition has been entirely mental—processing complex veteran defensive sets and scouting individual tendencies on the fly rather than adjusting to physical pacing.
- Championship Mentorship Accelerating Growth: To manage the rapid jump from UConn, Fudd has established a strict development routine with three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark, a partnership veteran star, Arike Ogunbowale, highlighted as a catalyst for the rookie.
ATLANTA — When UCLA head coach Cori Close talks about Azzi Fudd‘s start to her WNBA career with the Dallas Wings, she doesn’t lead with the scoring.
Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, has put up back-to-back 12-point games over Dallas’ last two outings — career-high-ties in both — while shooting 62.5% from the field through her first four games. Close watched Wednesday night’s win over the Chicago Sky and zeroed in on something else.
“Well, it’s interesting. I was watching the game last night, and all of those things that you just mentioned are phenomenal things and great markers,” Close said. “But what she did to take out the other point guard defensively adds a defensive prowess that I’m not sure they have when she’s not on the floor. I think that’s something that she really brings to the table.”
A Defensive Detail Most People Miss
Fudd checked in for 28 minutes against Chicago and was tasked with guarding Skylar Diggins for long stretches. Diggins finished with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jacy Sheldon, the Sky’s other starting guard, scored just 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting in 21 minutes.
Close said the impact Fudd has on the perimeter defensively changes what Dallas can throw at opposing backcourts, even when her shot isn’t the headline.
“She obviously — I think I saw a stat the other day that she was leading the entire league in her mid-range shooting percentage. And, you know, she is an excellent player,” Close said. “And I just think the expectation of whether they start, how many minutes — I mean, this is a huge transition. Azzi Fudd will be a major impact player for the Dallas Wings as the year goes on.”
What Azzi Fudd Has Shown Through Four Games
Fudd’s start to the WNBA has been efficient and quietly impactful. Through four games, she is averaging 8.8 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist in 22.5 minutes per game while shooting 62.5% from the field, 42.9% from beyond the arc and a perfect 100% from the free-throw line. Her 70.3% true shooting percentage leads the Wings and is one of the highest marks among any WNBA rookie this season.
Fudd’s plus-33 in those four games is the highest cumulative plus-minus on the Dallas roster — ahead of Arike Ogunbowale (plus-32), Maddy Siegrist (plus-31) and Awak Kuier (plus-24). She’s been part of two of Dallas’ three wins on the year, with her best two scoring outputs coming in the team’s two largest victories.
She matched her career high with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Dallas’ 92-69 home win over the Washington Mystics on May 18, then matched it again Wednesday with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc in Chicago.
Her three-point shooting has been a clean efficiency story so far. Her mid-range game has been even better — Close referenced a recent stat showing Fudd at the top of the league in mid-range field-goal percentage, a number that fits the shot profile she built at UConn.
The Mental Side of the Transition
Close framed Fudd’s start as part of a larger transition. Fudd herself, when asked about the leap from college to the WNBA before Wednesday’s game, said the on-court learning curve hasn’t been about the physical demands — it’s been about everything happening above the shoulders.
“I guess not surprised me. I think I was really fortunate in a sense that I’ve had so many teammates go before me, and I’ve gotten a chance to talk to them, hear from them, learn from them what their experience was like,” Fudd said. “But you can hear and learn as much as you can, but it’s a different thing to actually go through it. So to actually be here, be living through this is crazy.”
The mental side is what’s stretched her the most.
“I think one of the biggest adjustments is just the mental side of the game. I feel like a lot of it is mental,” Fudd said. “You don’t realize people have been playing for years, and they know other players in the league. They know how they play. They know how the teams run their sets, their systems.”
“And for someone who’s going through this for the first time, I’m learning all this. I’m learning everyone. I haven’t played against many of these women before,” Fudd explained. “So learning all that on the fly, learning new sets, learning new concepts, new play calls, you’re learning completely different people’s games, how to play off them effectively. So I think the mental side is probably the biggest difference.”
A Five-Year Chapter, Closed in a Week
Fudd’s college career at UConn ended just weeks before she stepped into Dallas, with the rapid transition from college to professional basketball compressing five years of relationships into a hurried goodbye.
“Yeah. I mean, obviously it’s a lot to go from the most intense part of your college season, and then to say all your goodbyes and have all of that come to an end,” Fudd said. “Like five years of memories of highs and lows, all the everything in between, and then say goodbye within a week. So that was crazy.”
The Dallas part of the transition has gone better.
“But since I stepped foot in Dallas, I felt super welcome, like it’s my second home already,” Fudd said. “So it’s been a lot of fun to navigate all these new experiences on the court, off the court with this team, with this staff. So I’m super fortunate to be surrounded by incredible people every single day.”
The Mentorship Layer
The Wings’ veteran group has been hands-on with Fudd from the start. Fudd, who has previously credited that group as a major reason her transition has gone smoothly, leaned into the same theme before Wednesday’s win.
“I’m so fortunate to be on this team, to have so many vets and experienced players to look up to, to pick their brains, to hear from,” Fudd said. “Obviously, I ask a ton of questions, but they’re so aware that sometimes I don’t even have to ask questions. They can see the wheels turning in my head. They can see me confused. They could see I could have made a better read on whatever the last play was, and they’ll come up to me and tell me.”
“You don’t get to choose where you’re drafted, but I am so grateful to have been drafted here in a place where people who really wanna see everyone around them grow and get better.”
Ogunbowale, who went through her own high-profile transition from college to the WNBA as the No. 5 overall pick in 2019, has emphasized Fudd’s maturity in the spotlight.
“Yeah, she keeps the outside noise outside. She knows what an asset she is to this team and how much we need her,” Ogunbowale said. “She’s finding her spots to be aggressive and taking it day by day. She’s a rookie, it’s a lot on her, but she’s taking it well.”
Ogunbowale and Fudd have built a working relationship in the locker room and on the floor.
“Yeah, it’s been good. Azzi is super receptive to everything,” Ogunbowale said. “She’s always asking questions, trying to learn, trying to be better, and she’s gonna be really good in this league.”
Fudd has also leaned on veteran Alysha Clark, a three-time WNBA champion in her 14th season, for shooting work and guidance. The two have been a regular sight running through pre-game shooting drills together, including before Wednesday’s win at Wintrust Arena.
“Yeah, Alysha is a super vet. She’s been around and been in all different positions where she’s been a starter, played a lot of minutes, come off the bench, maybe hasn’t played at all,” Ogunbowale told Dallas Hoops Journal. “She knows everything, so that’s just a great mentor to all of us, honestly. She’s won championships. She knows what it takes, so just having her, and Azzi having her as a rookie, is definitely special.”
What Comes Next
Fudd and the Wings (3-2) continue their three-game road trip Friday against the Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ION. Dallas then travels to face the New York Liberty before returning home for a matchup with the Las Vegas Aces.
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