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This week, the Chicago Sky received the fifth pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft via the draft lottery. This was the worst outcome for them, but also the most likely. Not all hope is lost though.
Hunter Cruse, a very well-respected WNBA Draft content creator has mocked UConn’s Azzi Fudd to the Sky in his first post-lottery mock at 5. This is a welcome development considering how lethal Fudd has been this season.
In his mock draft video, Cruse mentions that Fudd should be the pick in the case of assuming that Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are going to be your franchise cornerstones. If one of them is gone, which would more likely be Reese, then you would want to draft a player with a higher star upside.
Azzi Fudd is having the best year of her career so far, averaging 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and .7 blocks per game on 51.1% shooting from the field, 54.8% from three, and 100% from the line. Her effective field goal percentage is 63.9%, which is leading the Big East, and her 66.4% true shooting is also very high for a non-big.
Fudd is 11/11 from the free throw line, so it is not high enough to be considered real, but it is not like she is 4/4. Although her free throw rate of 12.2 free throws per 100 shot attempts is not high, it is the highest since her freshman year all the way back from 2021-22 season.
Besides the insane shooting, the most impressive development to me is the playmaking. 3.5 assists per game is a career high for the DMV native, and so is the 18.9% assist rate, per BartTorvik. That playmaking is putting her in secondary playmaker territory, raising the ceiling of any lineup she is in.
Another development in her game is the defensive playmaking. Despite Azzi not having elite athletic tools, she is making an impact on the defensive end with a 2.9% block rate, and a 3.9% steal rate. Generally, being above 2% for each is considered being an active defender, but being at nearly 3 and 4 percent is really showing how she can make a difference on both ends of the court. The 5’11 guard/wing is doing all of that while committing a very low amount of fouls, at only 1.8 per 40 minutes.
The biggest weakness in Fudd’s game right now is rebounding, with her only having a 5.4% offensive rebound rate, and a 8% defensive rebound rate, but players cannot be expected to do quite literally everything.
Overall, Azzi Fudd would be a great fit on the Chicago Sky due to their franchise cornerstones being bigs who would benefit from the amazing spacing and shot-making ability Fudd would provide, along with her making winning plays and doing everything she can to get some advantages on the margins.
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