Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Azzi Fudd has shown strong efficiency inside the arc despite struggling from beyond the 3-point line in her first three games.
- Fudd's recent performance in a win over the Mystics highlighted her ability to impact the game without relying on long-range shooting.
- The next step for her development hinges on improving her three-point shooting to justify more playing time and higher usage.
There's already been a lot said about the Dallas Wings' decision to take Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick, especially in light of the team passing on point guard Olivia Miles but then opting to start a true point guard beside Paige Bueckers. I won't wade into that at the moment, because it seems unfair to Fudd, even if Miles is the clear Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
Looking just at what Fudd has done when she's been out on the floor — she did miss a game already — and not taking into account the "what if" questions, how would we grade her performance so far?
Azzi Fudd's grade after three games
If this grade had come out before Fudd's third WNBA game, it would have been a C+, but Fudd's performance in Monday's 23-point win over the Washington Mystics was proof of what the No. 1 overall pick is capable of. In that contest, Fudd scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and notably, she did this without making a 3-pointer. That was a knock on her entering the league — that if she wasn't making shots from deep, it would be hard for her to make an impact offensively.
Fudd is only shooting 20 percent from deep, but she's shooting 61.1 percent overall from the floor this season. Her efficiency inside of the arc has been a huge plus for the Wings when she's been out on the floor.
We probably should discuss the "out on the floor" part, though. Fudd has come off the bench in all three of her games so far, something that's elicited some #hottakes amongst her fans. But here's the thing: Dallas wants to run a lineup with Bueckers at the two, and to do that the team has to play Odyssey Sims at point guard. That leaves the small forward spot as the only place Fudd could go in the starting unit, but the team is also heavily invested in Arike Ogunbowale, the franchise's all-time leading scorer. That Fudd is coming off the bench on this roster should not be viewed as a mark against her.
Really, the only things that really count as negatives right now are the 3-point shooting and some of the low usage. You'd like to see Fudd assert herself a bit more offensively, though Monday did give us a very good glimpse of what that looks like when it happens. Turn a few of those attempts into 3-point attempts instead and you're (probably) cooking.
Has Fudd been as impressive as you traditionally want from your No. 1 overall pick? No, and the B- grade reflects that. Still, there have been impressive moments from Fudd so far, even if she isn't as big a part of the Wings as you might expect her to be.
How can Fudd's grade increase? The big thing she needs to do is what she was drafted to do: make 3-pointers at an absurdly high clip. If she were doing that already, we wouldn't be seeing as much discourse about her minutes, because she'd be scoring enough in those minutes to make people talk less about how many minutes she's playing.
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