Azzi Fudd had managed to stay on the floor through most of her rookie season, a particularly encouraging development given her injury history. The No. 1 overall pick had appeared in 30 games for Dallas and established herself as an important part of José Fernández’s rotation, averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She also won the WNBA 3-Point Contest during All-Star weekend.
Fudd went through warmups before Dallas’ matchup with the Golden State Valkyries but experienced right knee soreness, prompting the Wings to hold her out as a precaution. She then missed the games against Golden State, the Minnesota Lynx and Toronto Tempo before Dallas ruled her out again Friday against the Indiana Fever.
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Fernández provided an update on where Fudd is at in her recovery ahead of Friday’s game in Indiana.
“Azzi went through shoot around today and her matrix, so she’s progressing as well,” the Wings coach said, according to Christan Braswell of Off The Record.
Fernández also hinted that Fudd may not be cleared until the Wings’ home game against the Fever on Aug. 20.
“As this road trip continues and we get back to Indiana at home (next home game), we’ll see how our medical team and and strength and conditioning folks continue to evaluate Azzi in her return to play protocol.”
The Wings have not simply lost a rotation player. Dallas has struggled to replace Fudd’s shooting and perimeter presence, winning just one of the four games she has missed this season while shooting just 26.8% from three-point range across those contests.
The recent skid has contributed to a difficult post-All-Star run for Dallas, which entered Friday at 20-14 and seventh in the WNBA. The Wings are also without Aziaha James and Jessica Shepard against Indiana, making Fudd’s continued absence even more significant.
