In just two days, Azzi Fudd will make her official debut for the Dallas Wings against the Indiana Fever, but veteran star Arike Ogunbowale already sounds convinced the rookie is ready for the moment.

On May 5, Melissa Triebwasser of The IX Sports shared a clip on X from Tuesday’s post-practice media session, where Ogunbowale spoke highly of Fudd and called her one of the best shooters she has ever seen.

“Having a sharpshooter like Azzi Fudd is lethal. She’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen, honestly,” Arike Ogunbowale said while praising the rookie guard.

She further added, “And the release is so fast, so it’s just like having her being able to space the floor, and she’s aggressive too, she can get to the basket. She does what she can, she knows how to play her role, but she can score as well. Just having her be aggressive is just gonna help us. I’m excited for her.”

And Ogunbowale’s praise did not come out of nowhere, as Dallas Wings fans have already seen flashes of Azzi Fudd’s potential during preseason, where she averaged 8.0 points across wins over the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces.

In case you forgot, against the Indiana Fever, the 23-year-old scored 4 points while shooting 2-of-7 from the field, and against the Las Vegas Aces, she followed that up with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

But the thing is, even though Azzi Fudd’s shooting has already impressed Arike Ogunbowale, it is still early in her WNBA journey.

But more than anything, Dallas believed long before draft night that Azzi Fudd was the perfect fit for the franchise.

José Fernández Explains the Azzi Fudd Pick

From injury concerns to roster fit questions, plenty of fans were unsure when the Dallas Wings used the No. 1 pick on Azzi Fudd, especially with stars like Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers already dominating the backcourt.

But Wings head coach José Fernández made it clear the franchise had no doubts about the decision.

“We took Azzi Fudd because she is the best player for this franchise. And in my system, I thought that she would be very successful, that’s why we drafted her,” Fernández said during the team’s Day 3 training camp interview.

And just like Ogunbowale, the 54-year-old Dallas coach also praised Azzi Fudd's shooting skills and said, “She has a very unique skill set. She can shoot the crap out of a basketball, and she can create off the bounce. She also invested and got better defensively,” Fernández added.

And Fernández made the comment because Azzi Fudd backed it up at UConn Huskies women's basketball, averaging 17.3 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 44.7% from three and making a strong impact on both ends of the floor in her final season.

And because of that production, Fernández believes Azzi Fudd’s transition to the WNBA will be smoother, especially with veterans like Alysha Clark, Odyssey Sims, Arike Ogunbowale, and girlfriend Paige Bueckers around her in Dallas.

Having said that, do you agree with what Arike Ogunbowale said about Azzi Fudd?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Souvik Roy