Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd had four points in her WNBA preseason debut.
Azzi Fudd made her preseason debut on Thursday against the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings rookie looked like a player playing in her first professional game.
Fudd finished with four points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field against the Fever. She played 16 minutes and picked up three fouls.
After the game, Fudd spoke to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal about her first game in the WNBA.
"Everyone on the court is talented, smart, and strong," Fudd said. "The physicality, pace, and speed are all different from college. The biggest thing is the IQ. You have to be locked in every possession. You can't take an offensive or defensive possession off, and that's something that's really stood out."
The Wings beat the Fever by a final score of 95-80. Although it's only preseason, Dallas did have 22 turnovers. That's something that can't happen when the games matter in the regular season.
"Taking care of the ball, obviously limiting turnovers. We had a lot of live-ball turnovers, and they got a lot of points off of that. Also, limiting fouls and starting the game with better help-side defense," Fudd said. "We started pretty poorly in that area, but it got a lot better as the game went on. It’s about starting that way from the beginning."
Fudd averaged 17.3 points per game for UConn this past season. She shot 48.1% from the field, 44.7% from beyond the arc and 95.5% from the free-throw line.
Paige Bueckers, who was teammates with Fudd in college, won the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award. She averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game and shot 47.7% from the field, 33.1% from 3 and 88.8% from the foul line.
With Bueckers and Fudd leading the way, the Wings will look to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2023.
Dallas went 10-34 last season. Jose Fernandez is the new head coach this season. He's replacing Chris Koclanes, who was fired after just one season.
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