Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd finished her first WNBA preseason on Sunday. The No. 1 pick’s initial experience didn’t go as expected. Coming into the pros, Fudd believed the leeway for being physical defensively would be more, but to her surprise, that wasn’t the case in her two preseason outings against the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces.
After the Wings’ 101-84 win over the Aces, Fudd said she was confused about how to play defense. While playing physically helps on that end of the floor, getting frequently whistled became an issue for the former UConn star. Here’s what Fudd told reporters:
“Honestly, I feel more confused. I thought you could be physical in the W, and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul. So I’m not really sure whether to be physicaly … I’m still figuring it out.”
Azzi Fudd saw Caitlin Clark take 13 trips to the free-throw line in her first preseason game on Thursday. On Sunday, A’ja Wilson took the same number of trips to the foul line. The Wings and Aces combined for 67 free-throw attempts between them, with 53 fouls being called on both teams
The WNBA has changed its officiating drastically compared to last season, which Caitlin Clark also noted after her 13 free-throw night against the Wings. The Fever superstar sounded more appreciative than Fudd about it. Clark believed it was required, given how often the refs let the game get out of control last year.
Amid Fudd’s remarks about the WNBA softening up, fans didn’t waste time dishing out their opinions, with some even bringing up Clark’s influence in the conversation.
One fan blamed Caitlin Clark, saying:
“This is Caitlin fault. She can’t handle contact and complaints to refs. Before Caitlin u could play legit defense.”
Another said:
“Finally the Caitlin Clark effect will impact her getting her to the free-throw line hopefully 8 to 10 times a game Since she’s been held,grabbed and flagrant fouled more than any player in the league in the last two seasons”
One fan added:
“I bet your a** youd be saying a diff tune if you got hacked the way CC has her first 2 yrs. Tell your dad to stfu about CC btw.”
One fan wrote:
Azzi Fudd shines in second preseason game after struggling against Caitlin Clark’s Fever
Azzi Fudd didn’t take long to find her rhythm offensively after an underwhelming performance against Caitlin Clark and the Fever. Fudd scored only four points in her debut on Thursday on 2 of 7 shots. While the Wings won 95-80, Fudd was a plus-minus of -3. On Sunday, she had a much better showing with 12 points on 4 of 10 shots. Fudd was a plus-minus +15 in the 17-point win for the Wings.
