{"id":667946,"date":"2026-05-27T11:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/667946\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T11:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:35:08","slug":"rookie-roll-call-how-olivia-miles-azzi-fudd-and-awa-fam-are-adapting-to-the-wnba-wnba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/667946\/","title":{"rendered":"Rookie roll call: how Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd and Awa Fam are adapting to the WNBA | WNBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re less than three weeks into the WNBA<\/a> season, and we\u2019ve already witnessed a little bit of everything. Thirteen games have been decided by five points or fewer, nine players have scored more than 30 points in a game (Brittney Sykes did it twice and A\u2019ja Wilson dropped 45), and there were two overtime nail-biters. Are you not entertained?<\/p>\n

Team identities are slowly taking shape, and it\u2019s never too early to start talking MVP. But it\u2019s the rookies who are shining like the new iced-out WNBA 30 diamond chain<\/a>. It\u2019s been just over 40 days since the WNBA draft, so let\u2019s check in with our top-drafted rooks to see how they\u2019re getting acclimated to the big leagues.<\/p>\n

Olivia Miles joins elite company<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my theory of why Miles is so good, so fast: her goggles have superpowers. They must allow the No 2 pick to see through defenders and map out the perfect pass every possession. OK, maybe not, but wow, has it been impressive what she\u2019s been able to do in such a short time. Through her first six games, Miles is the fifth player in WNBA history to average 15 points a game and five assists. She joins Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu.<\/p>\n

My favorite part? It appears she\u2019s having the time of her life out on the court. She\u2019s constantly grinning, doing her patented skip after a big play, and she\u2019s learned the Minnesota Lynx\u2019s electric slide celebration. How could you not be happy when you\u2019re leading all rookies in points and your team is in fourth place without Napheesa Collier?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also evident that the point guard has elevated her teammates. Courtney Williams is finally able to play off the ball in her natural position, Natasha Howard had a rare 26-point eruption and Kayla McBride is joyfully receiving passes perfectly in her shooting pocket. If Miles keeps this up, the Rookie of the Year trophy is hers.<\/p>\n

Azzi Fudd sets a rookie record<\/p>\n

Azzi Fudd had her breakout game against the Liberty this weekend. Photograph: Catalina Fragoso\/NBAE\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

There was a weather alert for rain in Brooklyn on Sunday, but people didn\u2019t know it would happen inside Barclays Center. What started as a back-and-forth battle between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty finished as Fudd\u2019s breakout game. She rattled off six threes, breaking the rookie franchise record that her teammate Paige Bueckers set last season. And, after starting the second half, she scored 17 in the third quarter, the second-most single-quarter points by a rookie in WNBA history. The No 1 overall pick finished with 24 points, a career high, in 32 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Head coach Jose Fernandez still won\u2019t commit <\/a>to moving Fudd to the starting five, but that\u2019s neither here nor there. What I think is most important is confidence. In a post-game interview, Fudd said she\u2019d been rushing her shots in previous games. Now, if she\u2019s ever doubting herself, she can go back and watch this game where her shooting arm transformed into a flamethrower.<\/p>\n

Awa Fam makes her Storm debut<\/p>\n

Awa Fam joined up with the Seattle Storm after winning the Spanish championship with Valencia. Photograph: Lindsey Wasson\/AP<\/p>\n

Awa has arrived! After the No 3 pick finished up her overseas commitments (and won the Spanish league championship<\/a>, btw), Fam finally made her rookie debut for the Seattle Storm on Sunday against the Washington Mystics. The Storm picked up their third win 97-85 and Fam finished with 10 points. According to ESPN, the 19-year-old is the 14th teenager to play a game in WNBA history and is only the second to score 10-plus points in their debut.<\/p>\n

Watching Fam glide down the court, I couldn\u2019t help but get giddy. Because, as good as she was, we still have yet to see the Storm\u2019s young core all on the court together: Fam, Flau\u2019jae Johnson (the eighth pick in 2026) and Dominique Malonga (the second pick in 2025). It points to not only the future of the franchise with this monster lineup of length, poise and energy, but also to the future of W.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc8 Trending upRhyne Howard and the Atlanta Dream are sitting in first place at 4-1. Photograph: Adam Hagy\/NBAE\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Dream are sitting in first place after defeating both the Wings and the Phoenix Mercury last week. With Rhyne Howard back in the lineup after clearing concussion protocol, the Dream look like the strong title contender we thought they\u2019d be. The scariest part: they\u2019re still without their All-Star forward, Brionna Jones. \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f This week\u2019s can\u2019t-miss matchups<\/p>\n

Thursday 28 May, 10pm eastern time, Amazon Prime<\/p>\n

These two just met last Friday in a high-scoring thriller. The Fever came out on top with Caitlin Clark pouring in 22 points, but this time, they\u2019ll be battling in one of the toughest home-court settings: Ballhalla.<\/p>\n

Friday 29 May, 7.30pm eastern time, ION<\/p>\n

This will be the teams\u2019 third meeting in two weeks, and they\u2019ve split the results so far. Who will win this in-season series? These teams could be battling for a playoff spot down the line, so even a win in May is important here.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8 Tunnel picks: growl powerMonique Billings – Satou Sabally – Cameron Brink in animal print. Composite: Pepper Robinson\/NBAE via Getty Images | Catalina Fragoso\/NBAE via Getty Images | Juan Ocampo\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Billings struts in a full cheetah outfit (that\u2019s so 2000s, by the way) and Raven-Symon\u00e9 (the original Cheetah Girl) attends<\/a> a WNBA game in the same week. Coincidence? I think not.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever been a more iconic look before a debut game. The anticipation of having Sabally back on the court was high, but this look \u2013 accessorized with a fiery red lip \u2013 set a whole new standard for the Liberty forward.<\/p>\n

OK, this look is from last season, but I still cannot stop thinking about this SEROYA matching short-jacket leopard set. Brink is always going to give us legs or abs; this day, she chose legs, and we\u2019re grateful.<\/p>\n

This is an extract from WNBA 30, where Jordan Robinson covers the biggest stories in the league on and off the court each week. Subscribe for free here<\/a>. Who do you think will have a breakout season and why? Email wnba30@theguardian.com<\/a>, and we may feature it in the next edition.<\/p>\n