DHJ Quick Take: The No. 1 Pick’s Path
- WNBA Debut: Azzi Fudd made her first professional shot count, a corner triple that highlighted her ability to “sprint the floor” and find open space in transition.
- Starting Role Potential: While Fernandez confirmed Fudd is “capable” of starting, he is currently leaning on veteran experience with Odyssey Sims.
- Tactical Focus: The next step for Fudd is the half-court “mid-range game.” As teams close out harder on her perimeter shot, Fernandez and the Wings’ point guards are looking to leverage specific actions to unlock her ability to create off the bounce.
- The Spacing Solution: After the franchise won just 19 games over two seasons, the Fudd-Bueckers pairing represents a total philosophical shift. Fudd’s 45% collegiate clip from deep is the specific tool Dallas is using to punish teams that try to “take the ball out of Paige’s hands.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd will be “ready and prepared” when the time comes to move into a starting role, with the rookie’s path continuing to develop after her WNBA debut.
Fudd scored her first WNBA points on a corner 3-pointer Saturday night in the Wings‘ 107-104 season-opening win over the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fernandez addressed her role both postgame Saturday and again Monday after practice, ahead of the Wings’ home opener Tuesday night against the Atlanta Dream at College Park Center.
Azzi Fudd’s WNBA Debut at Gainbridge
Fudd entered her first WNBA game with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter, replacing Arike Ogunbowale off the bench. She knocked down her first attempt from beyond the arc with 6:57 left in the second quarter, a corner 3 assisted by Jessica Shepard that gave her 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting from 3-point range in 17 minutes of action.
The 5-foot-11 guard played alongside former UConn teammate and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, reuniting the backcourt that won the 2024-25 NCAA championship for the Huskies. Ogunbowale led Dallas with 22 points, while Bueckers and Odyssey Sims added 20 points each. Wings reserves outscored Indiana’s bench 26-22 overall.
“Just continuing to do what she’s doing,” Fernandez said. “It’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players in Odyssey Sims, Paige, Arike, Azzi, and Aziaha James.”
Fernandez also signaled that managing minutes across that deep guard rotation will be an ongoing exercise as the schedule lengthens.
“We had two guys play 32 minutes,” Fernandez said. “We got to now, with coming back home, figure out how to get some of those that were in the 15s and 17s to 20s, because it’s a long year.”
Jose Fernandez on Azzi Fudd’s Path to a Starting Role
Fernandez opened the season with Sims at point guard alongside Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Shepard, and Alanna Smith. The lineup decision was made three days before the opener and weighed alongside similar conversations about Fudd and forward Maddy Siegrist.
The rationale behind Fernandez’s starting lineup choice focused on Bueckers’ workload and the defensive pressure she draws as factors in starting Sims at point guard.
“For me, I want to save Paige’s legs down the stretch in the fourth quarter,” Fernandez said. “The more I can play her off the ball, we know she’s going to get trapped at the point guard spot in so many pick-and-roll situations. And also, when she’s at the point guard spot, what do other teams do? They pick her up 94 feet and try to wear her out for 60 of it.”
Fernandez was asked on Monday whether Fudd would move into a starting role this season.
“I don’t think about it that way. Is she capable of doing that? Yes, she is,” Fernandez said. “When that happens, and when it does happen, I think she’ll be ready and prepared for it.”
With Fudd entering the WNBA with a well-established reputation as a sharpshooter, she’s already a key element of the scouting report. Indiana stayed attached to her often off-ball. Fernandez is looking to generate more looks for her in the offense.
“The other thing, when she gets in, and she’s a shooter, I gotta get her more involved and get her some looks. But you gotta give other teams credit too. They want to take the ball out of Paige’s hands, right?” Fernandez said. “Other teams prepare for really, really good players the same way we’re going to prepare to take away other teams’ guys.”
Building From the Opener
Fernandez highlighted Fudd’s corner 3 from Saturday as a template for how the Wings can create shots in transition. Additionally, Wings players have frequently emphasized the need to get defensive stops to get out on the break and generate high-quality looks.
“The three that she hit, Jess found her in the corner because she sprinted the floor and got there and got herself in great space,” Fernandez said. “If we can find her in transition and get her in open space and get her good looks that way, that’s big.”
As Fudd continues to adjust to the WNBA, Fernandez would like to leverage half-court actions. He also mentioned that it’s partly the point guard’s responsibility to ensure execution.
“Now once people close out to her and she can get to her mid-range game, it’s when people take away our transition, can I get her involved in different actions and our point guard on the floor getting her involved in those actions,” Fernandez said.
Azzi Fudd’s WNBA Journey So Far
Selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13, Fudd arrived in Dallas after winning the 2024-25 NCAA championship at Connecticut and earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
As a senior in 2025-26, the Arlington, Virginia native averaged 17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 45.4% from 3-point range on 6.9 attempts per game and 49.5% from the field overall, earning AP All-America honors.
The Wings selected Fudd to pair her with Bueckers, giving Dallas back-to-back No. 1 overall picks at guard after the franchise won only 19 games over the previous two seasons.
Tip-off for Fudd’s home debut is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT Tuesday at College Park Center.
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