Azzi Fudd Will Have to Continue Waiting for Her First Wings Start

Dallas ruled Fudd out for Tuesday night’s game vs. the Dream.

Azzi Fudd was ruled out for her second WNBA contest. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After originally being labeled as probable for Tuesday night’s Wings vs. Dream matchup, Azzi Fudd was downgraded to out for the contest just a couple hours before tip-off. Her first WNBA matchup against Angel Reese will have to wait.

Dallas listed the No. 1 pick as having a right knee issue, although an official diagnosis hasn’t been given yet. There’s also currently no return timeline for Fudd. The Wings play next at home on Thursday, May 14 vs. the Lynx.

It doesn’t sound like the team is too concerned about Fudd being out for a long period. Wings coach Jose Fernandez gave a pretty firm answer about why the guard is out.

“Out of an abundance of caution and her long-term health, we’re keeping her out tonight,” Fernandez said, via Wings reporter Drake Keeler.

The move is solely a precautionary one, so hopefully we’ll see Fudd back on the court this week or in the near future.

Fudd only has one game under her belt after the Wings beat the Fever 107–104 on Saturday in their season opener. The top pick made some unfortunate history during her WNBA debut, though, as she only made one basket and scored three points in 18 minutes played off the bench, the least amount of points posted by a No. 1 pick in their debut.

Fernandez didn’t start Fudd on Saturday, leaving a question mark on Fudd’s chances of joining the starting five anytime soon. Now that the team is being cautious about Fudd’s injury status, there’s a possibility the injury pushed back her timeline of being added to the starting lineup.

“Is she capable of doing [starting]? Yes, she is. When it does happens, I think she’ll be ready,” Fernandez told reporters on Monday.

Fudd not starting in her WNBA debut was a controversial topic across the league, especially when other first-round draft picks started in their respective debuts. No. 2 pick Olivia Miles started for the Lynx against the Dream and led her team in scoring with 21 points and in assists with eight. No. 5 pick Gabriela Jaquez started for the Sky vs. the Fire and posted 10 points and seven rebounds. No. 8 pick Flau’jae Johnson made her first start for the Storm against the Sun and led her team in scoring with 16 points, while also recording six rebounds.

It’s somewhat rare for a No. 1 pick to not immediately earn a role in the starting five, especially in recent memory. Fudd’s teammate Paige Bueckers has remained in the starting lineup since she was drafted No. 1 overall last year. Caitlin Clark, the 2024 first overall pick, also started right off the bat with the Fever.

Fans are definitely still confused why the Wings elected not to start Fudd on Saturday, and now we will continue waiting to see if Fudd can prove her abilities to be promoted to a starting role. Fudd will earn that position at some point this season, but we’ll see how long it takes.

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