What Paige Bueckers said about Azzi Fudd’s breakout explosion

The Dallas Wings have looked impressive early in the 2026 WNBA season. Dallas is 4-3 after getting a huge win against New York on Sunday. One Wings rookie emphatically proved why she was the best rookie in this year’s draft class during the big win.

Rookie Azzi Fudd had a breakout game against the Liberty. Fudd had a huge role coming off the bench, scoring 24 points with three assists and two rebounds in a whopping 32 minutes. Only Arike Ogunbowale (38), Paige Bueckers (36), and Jessica Shepard (33) had more minutes that Fudd.

Bueckers expressed confidence in her rookie teammate after her impressive performance.

“We knew she had this in her, and we knew it was only a matter of time,” Bueckers said, per The Athletic’s Annie Costabile. “It takes time as a rookie to get your legs under you, your feet going and just get some experience and reps at it.”

Bueckers also played well against the Liberty, putting up 24 points with six rebounds and two assists in her 36 minutes.

Fudd started the season on the bench for Dallas. Head coach Jose Fernandez instead opted to start veteran Odyssey Sims alongside Bueckers and Ogunbowale in the starting lineup. Naturally, Fudd’s great game creates questions about whether or not she should be a starter.

When asked about Fudd’s future usage, Fernandez gave a noncommittal answer.

“I think we’re heading in that direction,” Fernandez said.

It will be exciting to see if Fudd can follow up that performance with another solid game later this week.

Next up for the Wings is a home game against the Aces on Thursday May 28th at 8PM ET.

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