Diana Taurasi is back on the Azzi Fudd bandwagon, and she is not exactly being subtle about it. Fudd’s rookie season may have been cut short by a brutal knee injury, but Taurasi is still talking about her like one of the most special young players in basketball. After backing her before the draft, the WNBA legend is now doubling down on that belief with praise that few players ever receive from someone of Taurasi’s stature.

“I think AZ’s the best pure shooter I’ve ever seen. She’s one of the only players I’ve seen that when she catches the ball and gets ready to shoot, I never think she’s going to miss,” she said while talking to WNBA reporter Anastasia.

“And I think this year, not only with that amazing skill, I think this year she’s taking a step forward in so many other areas in playmaking and decision-making. She’s a great defender. You always put on the other team’s best guard.”

The numbers back up Taurasi’s point. Fudd finished her rookie season with 55 assists against just 33 turnovers, averaging only 1.1 turnovers in nearly 32 minutes per game, a solid sign of the decision-making Taurasi praised. Defensively, she was even more disruptive, recording 52 steals and 25 blocks in just 30 games while averaging 1.7 steals per contest.

Taurasi goes on to add another dimension of Fudd’s play that she thinks deserves appreciation.

“And not only that, there are little things I notice when I watch the games this year. Every huddle, she’s the one talking. She’s taking it to the next level and becoming a leader of the team, making sure everyone’s in the right place,” she continued. “And as a senior, that’s all you want. And, you know, she’ll definitely be the number one pick.”

Azzi Fudd’s rookie season is over after an arthroscopic procedure on her right knee. She has not played since Dallas’ 96-92 loss to Washington on August 5.

And this is hardly the first time Taurasi has gone all-in on Fudd.

Back in March, before the WNBA Draft, she already had Fudd at the top of the board, arguing that her shooting, defense, passing, and chemistry with Paige Bueckers made her the likely No. 1 pick.

Taurasi even said Fudd looked dominant on both ends of the floor, and Dallas eventually proved her right by taking the UConn star first overall.

Months later, Fudd has given that praise some real backing. She won the All-Star three-point contest, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to do so, while shooting 45.6% from the field and 39.7% from three this season.

After the win against the Portland Fire, the Dallas Wings officially qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

Dallas’ turnaround has been one of the league’s sharper stories this season. After going 10-34 in 2025, the Wings are now 23-16 and have already set a franchise record for wins.

That turnaround has also changed the outside perception of Dallas. Before the season, even a 16-28 finish was viewed as reasonable progress. Now, the question is no longer whether the Wings can improve, but whether they can survive the first round against a tougher matchup.

They can still finish anywhere from second to eighth in the standings, and Fudd’s presence would have made that run even stronger. Before her season ended, the No. 1 pick was averaging 13.1 points per game while giving Dallas elite shooting and disruptive defense.

That makes the turnaround under first-year coach Jose Fernandez even more impressive. With five games still left to play, Dallas has already flipped one of the league’s worst records into a playoff season.

All these developments drew an emotional response from Dallas’ Paige Bueckers.

Paige Bueckers Gets Emotional After Wings Clinch Playoffs Without Azzi Fudd

It has been an eventful season for the Wings’ Paige Bueckers, and she shared her thoughts with reporters after Tuesday’s game against the Fire, reflecting on Fudd’s injury and the Wings making the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

“It means a lot, it means a lot just in terms of all that we overcame throughout this season and how we did it together and how much we love and appreciate each other and how connected we are. Like we really have fun coming to work together. So honestly, as far as we can extend this season, that’s what we want to do,” Bueckers said while answering what it means for her and this team after making the playoffs.

“But just to reward everybody’s hard work, like we really grind. We have a great team. We have great teammates. We have depth. We have people who contribute to winning basketball. And it’s just really rewarding in a sense.”

“Obviously, you look at the other side of it and want to continue to keep building from there and don’t want to get complacent with just clinching the playoffs, but we want to make a run and make a deep run. So that’s the next thing moving forward.”

Bueckers is in fine form this season, averaging 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while leading Dallas in both points and assists. She recently made WNBA history by becoming the third player to record at least 750 points and 200 assists in a single season, joining Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum.

By the looks of it, a tough test in the league leaders Minnesota Lynx await the Wings in the first round of the playoffs.