"Just Wanna Make Things Difficult for the Other Team”: Azzi Fudd Comments on Defensive Success in Her Rookie Season

“Just Wanna Make Things Difficult for the Other Team”: Azzi Fudd Comments on Defensive Success in Her Rookie Season

Koby del Rosario

July 18, 2026 | 10:04 PM EDT

“Just Wanna Make Things Difficult for the Other Team”: Azzi Fudd Comments on Defensive Success in Her Rookie Season — Azzi Fudd. - Source: Imagn

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd has met expectations when it comes to being a sharpshooter, but several are surprised by her defensive prowess. Heading into the WNBA, Fudd was one of the most highly-touted recruits due to her ability to knock down three-pointers and make plays on offense. While she was not a bad defender by any means, Fudd was more known for her offensive skills. In her first WNBA season, she has shifted the narrative.

With the Wings’ successful record and Fudd breaking down the statistics, the young talent has become an elite 3-and-D player in just her rookie year. In an interview during a Wings practice session, posted on X/Twitter by user @TheAnastasia25 on Saturday, July 18, Fudd was asked if her defensive contributions were something she anticipated or if they kind of came as a surprise.

“ I guess a surprise. Well, I would say a little of both. I came in just wanting to grow, wanting to learn, knew I was gonna be aggressive, knew I was gonna take pride in my defense, but that’s not something I was looking to, like, ‘Oh, like, I wanna get this many blocks, this many steals, this many that.’ I just wanted to make things difficult for the other team,” Fudd shared. (0:10)

“I knew I’d be playing against the best women in the world, so it’d be a challenge for me every single night, something that I could look forward to, and it has been,” she concluded.

This season, Fudd became the second rookie since former Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings in 2002 to log a 20-game span with at least 35 three-pointers made, 35 steals, and 20 blocks. Catchings did it multiple times during her rookie year, and only time will tell if Fudd will do the same later this season. What makes Fudd’s record impressive is that she did it in exactly her first 20 WNBA games.

Azzi Fudd credits UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma’s program in ability to get steals

Later in her aforementioned interview, Azzi Fudd was asked how she approaches getting steals, whether it’s more of a fast-twitch she senses or she hunts down an opportunity. Fudd shared that it’s all about staying active on defense, as the ball will find its way to you. The 2025 NCAA champion then credited coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies program in helping her develop the skill.

“Actually, it’s something that coach would say in college. He’d be like, ‘You’re the most conservative player we have, like, you don’t get any steals.’ And then, I got one steal, probably from my junior year, and he was like, ‘It’s the first steal you’ve ever gotten.’ And he always would harp, ‘If you have your hands out, people will just throw the ball into your hands.’ You’d be surprised how many passes, deflections you’ll get if your hands are up or out and not down,” Fudd explained. (0:48)

Fudd was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, pairing her up with Paige Bueckers who she won the 2025 NCAA title with.