Azzi Fudd scored a career-high 24 points, drilling 6 of 12 3-pointers, and the Dallas Wings beat the New York Liberty 91-76 on Sunday in Brooklyn.
Fudd’s outburst came off the bench and arrived in front of a national audience; she had been averaging 8.4 points as a reserve before Sunday’s game and finished the night with the team’s most eye-catching line. Wings coach Jose Fernandez summed it up plainly: "Now everyone knows why we took her No. 1," a line that underlines how quickly perceptions can change after one performance.
Paige Bueckers, who joined Azzi Fudd in Dallas as the top pick in the 2026 draft, watched a reserve alter the rotation narrative. Fernandez had started Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and Odyssey Sims in the Wings' backcourt through the first seven games, a configuration meant to stabilize a new-look backcourt. Bueckers praised Fudd after the game: "We knew she had this in her, and we knew it was only a matter of time," and added, "It takes time as a rookie to get your legs under you, your feet going and just get some experience and reps at it." Those are not the words of a teammate surprised by a single hot night — they read like a collective expectation finally realized.
The breakout reversed a small arc from May 14, when the Wings hosted the Minnesota Lynx and lost 90-86. In that first meeting Olivia Miles — selected second by the Minnesota Lynx out of TCU — finished with 15 points and six assists while Fudd had 8 points off the bench. Miles has taken the early-season spotlight for Minnesota, averaging 15 points, 5.5 assists and five rebounds per game and becoming the fifth player in WNBA history to post those numbers through a six-game stretch; the Lynx were 6-2 through six games.
The contrast between Miles’ steady production and Fudd’s sudden surge frames a theme that will track the season: the debate over the draft class’ top young guards. The article says the debate between Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles will continue throughout their careers because they were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in a draft class with parity, and this weekend’s results only sharpen that rivalry. Minnesota’s early consistency and Fudd’s ceiling make the rookie-of-the-year conversation a two-horse race for now.
Tension remains in Dallas. Fernandez’s commitment to a starting trio through the first seven games, Fudd’s role as a reserve and her absence from the Wings’ home opener against the Atlanta Dream because of a knee issue described by Fernandez as precautionary, all create friction between long-term roster planning and short-term reward. The Wings have sources of depth — and the coach’s public praise now forces a practical choice: reward a hot reserve with more minutes or stick to the rotation that began the season.
Fudd’s efficiency in Brooklyn — 6 of 12 from distance on the night she scored 24 — makes a simple conclusion plausible: she has earned attention and can no longer be dismissed as a matchup spark. Whether that translates into consistent starts is the critical decision ahead for Fernandez and the Wings' staff. For now, Azzi Fudd leaves Brooklyn with a career high and a clear message to a league watching two rookie narratives unfold.
For more on Fudd’s impact and Dallas’ early season lift, see Azzi Fudd’s efficient scoring and defense give Dallas Wings an early lift, and for the context of her missing the Atlanta opener, see Where To Watch Dallas Wings Vs Atlanta Dream: TV, Streaming and Game Info Tonight.
