Azzi Fudd’s standout perimeter shooting was on full display for national audiences Friday night, as the former UConn women’s basketball star posted a historic 30-point final round to win the 2026 WNBA 3-Point Shooting Contest.
However, as Fudd returned from the All-Star Weekend festivities in Chicago, Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller was focused instead on his rookie’s outstanding defensive play so far this season.
“She plays so effectively on the defensive end,” Miller, who previously coached the Connecticut Sun, told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t know if enough has been written about the type of defensive season she’s put together here early. It’s been pretty remarkable.
Fudd’s understated defensive impact stretches back to her senior season in Storrs, where she forced a steal or block on around 7% of defensive possessions — that’s more than double her output during the 2024-25 season — all while boasting the best personal foul efficiency rating of any player in the country. Selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, it was Fudd’s defensive skill set that translated first as she battled early offensive struggles, poking free a steal in her regular-season debut against Indiana before recording both a steal and a block five days later against Minnesota.
At just 5-foot-11, Fudd has made a remarkably versatile defensive impact, proving to be a pest on the perimeter while also protecting the rim. Fudd set a season high with five steals at Golden State last month, a performance she immediately followed up with four blocks against Chicago.
Fudd’s defensive impact has put her in rarefied air among rookies. She leads the 2026 draft class with 45 total steals and joins Tamika Catchings as the only first-year player to record a 20-game span with 35 3-pointers, 35 steals and 20 blocks.
“I’ve coached some of the best guard defenders this league has had in the recent era,” Miller said. “To see what she’s doing, it is really, truly elite.”