ESPN Analyst Gets It Wrong With Azzi Fudd Wings Bench Role Stance

Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez's decision not to start rookie guard Azzi Fudd (who was the No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft) for their team's May 9 game against the Indiana Fever caused quite a stir.

Then the game arrived, and Fudd struggled to make an impact. She scored just 3 points and took 2 field goal attempts in 18 minutes played. Meanwhile, Odyssey Sims (who started in the role many believed would belong to Fudd) was one of the best players on the court, scoring 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field and being a key reason why the Wings won the game.

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Despite this, some within the women's basketball world are clinging to the idea that Fudd needs to start for Dallas, despite the eye test and the box score suggesting otherwise. One of these people is ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, who said as much during a May 12 episode of her "Chiney Today" show.

"Azzi Fudd not starting as the number-one pick. This is something, this is truly something... And sometimes you kind of want to start the year with wins. With people that know what the WNBA is gonna be like, what the competitive nature is gonna be... I can understand the rationale is putting people [like Odyssey Sims] who understand what that moment is. But you have the number one pick. And it's back-to-back number-one picks. And the last thing you want is for her not to feel completely confident and belonging," Ogwumike said.

"You don't want to create this loss of confidence for your number-one pick because she's getting limited minutes," she added. "That, to me, should never happen, especially when you're the number-one pick. You should have the opportunity to control your own destiny."

“You have the number one pick, and the last thing you want is for her not to feel completely confident. Azzi Fudd is the best shooter we’ve seen in a long time, she’s a pure shooter. You don’t want to create that lack of confidence in your number one pick.” + pic.twitter.com/1tsUS57zsJ
— barbra version (@sacbabi) May 12, 2026

Azzi Fudd's Confidence Shouldn't Be the Wings' Focus

Ogwumike made several fair points. But she also addressed why prioritizing Fudd's confidence (and therefore thrusting her into an undeserved starting role) doesn't make sense.

Of course the Wings want to start the year with wins. So does every WNBA team (and every other team in history). Yet, unlike during Paige Bueckers' rookie year a season ago, the Wings are actually in position to contend for a championship this season — as proven by their performance against the Fever.

Fudd's development will be crucial for them to reach their goals this year. But forcing her to become a starter and hoping this creates confidence isn't conducive to winning, and it isn't conducive to how confidence is actually created.

Instead, the Wings should allow Azzi to come off the bench in a more confined role, let her find her shooting rhythm, acclimate to the WNBA's defense, and then make her a starter when she's both ready and has earned it.

And this is the strategy Fernandez has already said he's going to take, as shown by him saying, “I don’t think about it that way. Is she capable of doing that? Yes, she is... When it does happen, I think she'll be ready," when asked if he wants to see Fudd become a starter this season.

I asked Jose Fernandez if he wants to see Azzi Fudd join the starting lineup at some point this season.

“I don’t think about it that way. Is she capable of doing that? Yes, she is … When it does happens, I think she'll be ready.”
— Drake (@DrakeKeeler) May 11, 2026

Fudd will become a starter at some point. But not until her performance — not where she was picked in the draft — has made her earn it.

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