DHJ Quick Take: The Hall of Fame Stamp
- Beyond the Arc: Rebecca Lobo is challenging the “specialist” label often attached to Azzi Fudd. By highlighting her mid-range game and a defensive rating (72.4) that ranked 15th nationally, Lobo is signaling to Curt Miller that Fudd is a high-floor, two-way starter from day one.
- WNBA-Ready Efficiency: The Synergy Sports data backing Lobo’s claim is staggering. Fudd’s 1.21 PPP on guarded catch-and-shoot looks (94th percentile) proves she can handle the physical, tight-space defending typical of the WNBA.
- The Fit Factor: While critics worry about a crowded backcourt with Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, Lobo argues that elite shooting is the ultimate “universal fit.” For a Wings team that sat at the bottom of the league in 3PT volume, Fudd is the tactical correction they’ve been waiting for.
- Chasing All-Star Status: Lobo’s prediction of “All-Star potential as a rookie” puts Fudd in rare air. If she hits that ceiling, the Wings‘ rebuild under Jose Fernandez won’t just be about making the playoffs—it will be about contention.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rebecca Lobo isn’t hedging on Azzi Fudd. The ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame center was direct when asked about the UConn guard’s fit at the top of Monday’s 2026 WNBA Draft — and equally direct about what she thinks the Dallas Wings should do with the No. 1 overall pick.
“That’s who I would take No. 1 if I was a general manager,” Lobo told USA TODAY Sports. “She’s gonna fit in seamlessly. She’s one of the greatest shooters we’ve seen in college. Her efficiency of movement, the way she has expanded her game — it’s not just 3s. She’s incredible in the mid-range, she’s become a really next level defender out on the perimeter. I think she is WNBA-ready today. I think she has WNBA All-Star potential as a rookie.”
The Case Rebecca Lobo Is Making
Lobo’s endorsement cuts to the core of what separates Fudd from other prospects in this class: versatility as a perimeter scorer and immediate professional readiness. The knock on Fudd this cycle has centered on positional fit alongside Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, and on her struggles in the final three games of UConn’s NCAA Tournament run — shooting 12-of-39 over that stretch. Lobo isn’t buying the concern.
“She’s a great fit anywhere,” Lobo said. “When you can shoot the way she can shoot — it’s different than a post player. Everybody can use a shooter and somebody who has the versatile skill set that she has.”
The numbers support that framing. According to Synergy Sports data, Fudd posted a 1.210 points-per-possession mark in spot-up situations last season — 97th percentile, rated Excellent. Her off-screen efficiency came in at 1.150 PPP, placing her at the 90th percentile. Crucially, her guarded catch-and-shoot PPP registered at 1.21 — 94th percentile — meaning she doesn’t need a clean look to be dangerous. Teams can run her off staggers, flares, floppy actions, and pin-ins. She shot 44.5% from three on 263 attempts last season, rated Excellent at the 98th percentile by Synergy.
Lobo specifically cited Fudd’s mid-range game and defensive development as reasons her profile extends beyond the shooter label. On that front, the data backs her up as well. Fudd ranked third nationally in defensive win shares (2.8) and 15th in defensive rating (72.4) this season — numbers that reflect genuine two-way impact, not just a specialist who hides on the weak side.
Lobo is not alone in that assessment. Dallas Hoops Journal projects Fudd at No. 1 overall to the Wings in its final mock draft, citing her spot-up and off-screen efficiency as the most direct solution to a Dallas offense that ranked last in the league in three-point attempts last season at 21.6 per game while converting at just 30.4%. ESPN also returned to Fudd at No. 1 in its final mock draft published Monday, with analyst Michael Voepel pointing to the Wings’ frontcourt additions in free agency as the move that cleared the path for a guard at the top of the board.
The Broader Profile
Fudd nearly posted a 50-40-90 season this year, shooting 48.1% from the floor, 44.7% from three, and 95.5% from the free-throw line while averaging 17.3 points and 3.1 assists per game. Since 2009, she is one of only four players to average at least 17 points, 3 assists, and 6.5 three-point attempts per game while shooting better than 44% from behind the arc, according to Her Hoop Stats.
Her pick-and-roll ball-handler numbers add another layer. Fudd logged 117 pick-and-roll possessions last season at 0.906 PPP overall — 84th percentile, Excellent — including a 1.037 PPP mark at the 93rd percentile when defenses committed hard to the screen. She is not a one-dimensional prospect, and Lobo’s endorsement reflects exactly that.
Should Fudd go No. 1 tonight, she would reunite with Bueckers in Dallas and enter a system under new head coach Jose Fernandez that emphasizes constant motion and three-point shooting — a scheme built around exactly the skill set Lobo is describing.
The 2026 WNBA Draft tips off tonight at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN from The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City.
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