The Dallas Wings just dropped a bombshell, announcing that rookie guard Azzi Fudd will undergo season-ending surgery on her right knee. This procedure, aimed at alleviating “right knee soreness,” is set for next week, and it throws a massive wrench into the team’s plans.
A Rookie Season Cut Short, Again
This is brutal news for Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick. She wraps up her rookie year having played in 30 games, putting up 13.1 points per game and shooting an impressive 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. But this injury isn’t exactly out of left field, is it?
Durability has been a huge question mark for Fudd since before she even hit the pros. At UConn, she only managed two fully healthy seasons across five years. Her right knee, in particular, has been a nightmare. She tore her right ACL and MCL way back in high school, and then, unbelievably, again as a junior with the Huskies. To see yet another right knee issue derail her season is truly the worst-case scenario. It raises some serious, larger questions about her long-term future, for sure.
Fudd has been sidelined since Dallas’ 96-92 loss to the Washington Mystics on August 5. She put out a statement, saying she will “come back ready and better than before,” and you gotta hope she does.
Playoff Push Just Got a Whole Lot Harder
For the Wings, this surgery complicates everything. They are currently locked in a fight for a playoff spot, sitting in eighth place in the league standings. They have a 4.5-game cushion over the ninth-place Portland Fire, with just eight games left to play. That lead feels a lot smaller without your No. 1 pick on the floor.
Coach Jose Fernandez was counting on Fudd. Her floor-spacing ability is super valuable, especially because games tend to slow down in the postseason, making that outside shot even more important. Losing her right now is a killer blow to that offensive potential. If the Wings do manage to snag a playoff berth and get matched up against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, pulling off an upset just got a whole lot more difficult. Her absence is going to be felt hard.
So, the Wings have eight crucial games ahead to protect that eighth spot. A 4.5-game lead might seem comfortable, but without Azzi Fudd, their fight to keep the Portland Fire at bay and avoid falling out of the picture has just become a brutal grind. All eyes are on how they adapt and if they can still make some noise when it counts.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply