Without Azzi Fudd, what’s next for the Wings?

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The Dallas Wings’ season isn’t over, but things are getting more concerning.

The Wings started the season 8-4 and looked to be one of the most dangerous teams in the WNBA with a strong young core and a pair of veteran free agent signings in Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith. Even after Thursday night’s win over Indiana, the Wings are still only 3-7 since the All-Star break and took another big hit this week.

No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, taking out one of the Wings’ most prolific players right as they are making a push to retain their final playoff spot.

Through 30 games, Fudd averaged 13.1 points and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 39.7% from deep on 2.1 attempts per game.

Fudd has dealt with multiple injuries to her right knee dating back to her UConn years, having previously tore her ACL and meniscus in the same knee in 2023, after tearing the same ACL and MCL back in 2019.

“The most important thing is her health in her return to play and her longevity,” head coach Jose Fernandez said on Aug. 12.

She sat out this year’s home opening game to deal with lingering soreness from the college season, and she missed the previous five games after aggravating it again.

“I know exactly what comes next: rehab, put in the work, come back ready and better than before,” Fudd posted on Instagram on Wednesday. “Grateful for my family, my circle, and the Wings organization for the support. Thank you for all the messages today. They mean a lot to me.”

Dallas has been criticized plenty this season for letting runaway Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles drop to No. 2 and give the Minnesota Lynx yet another boost. But Fudd was an elite prospect in her own right, and she mattered in the Wings’s effort to get back to their first postseason since 2023.

Fudd has been the Wings’s best volume 3-point shooter this season, which has allowed spacing for Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, and helped allow Shepard to have a career season where she is the frontrunner for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Overall, the Wings has shot 70.2% at the rim when she is on the floor, nearly six percentage points better than the league average, and just 61.9% without her.

Taking her off the floor will allow teams to close in around the net a bit more against a Wings team that generates a lot from beneath the arc.

Per PBP Stats, Dallas has scored 7.6 points more per 100 possessions with Fudd on the floor vs. when she’s off. They are 19-11 with her in the lineup and 2-5 when she is out.

Fudd was also one of the Wings’ best defensive players. Dallas has a 105.6 defensive rating with her on the floor and 108.9 when she is off.

Without her, the Wings need more from Bueckers, who has been in a bit of a slump since the All-Star break. Her 3-point shooting has dipped from 39.7% in the 25 games before the break to 31.0% in the 10 games since the break. Fudd has been out for many of those games, and Shepard has been out, too, making defenses key in on Bueckers even more.

Fernandez said forward Awak Kuier would play at the 3 as the Wings figure out their new rotation. She is averaging 5.7 points in 16.9 minutes this season and has been a strong post defender.

Guard Odyssey Sims could also get more playing time. She has taken just 4.8 field-goal attempts per game in 15.7 minutes this season, but has been a starter in the WNBA and a contributor averaging nearly 10 field-goal attempts per game over her career.

Of the Wings’ eight remaining games, seven are against bottom-half teams, giving them a chance to bury any potential run from Portland or Chicago. They have a five-game lead on the Fire, but have lost seven of their last 10 games, so the Wings do need to figure some things out.

Dallas is 7-15 against teams in playoff position this season, also raising concerns as they head into the critical part of the season. That includes a combined 0-7 record against the Minnesota Lynx and the Golden State Valkyries, the top two teams in the standings and potential first-round opponents. Overall, there aren’t many great matchups for the Wings, but they just need to get into the postseason first.

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