Azzi Fudd surely won't be coming off the bench for the Dallas Wings much longer. The number one pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft had her best game yet in the Wings 91-76 win over the New York Liberty, starting the second half and putting up 24 points—including five three-pointers in the third quarter, a record for a rookie in a single frame.Fudd's role in the rotation has been a question since coach Jose Fernandez elected to bring her off the bench, but it would be surprising if she isn't starting as soon as the team's next game against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Thursday."We're headed in that direction," Fernandez said about the possibility of her moving into a starting role, in noting Fudd's increasing minutes.He had hinted at this prior to the game as well. "As her minutes increase and her productivity will increase, you see that lineup that we talked about earlier starting us off, yeah possibly. We'll see what happens," Fernandez noted pregame, before Fudd went off for a career high.He added after the game that he liked seeing her attack off the dribble and praised her defense before the contest, which backs up Fudd expressing how she is more than a shooter following the Wings victory over the Washington Mystics on Monday. But it was still her threat from the outside and quick release that stood out versus the Liberty. Fudd's catch and shoot abilities make her a deadly matchup for any team. And those qualities are why the Wings selected her with the first pick in the draft. Fernandez seemed a little annoyed to have to answer another question about that decision prior to tip-off, but made sure to mention it after."I think now everyone knows why we took her number one, right?" Fernandez said.It's hard to argue after watching her light up New York at Barclays Center. Fudd, Paige Bueckers, and Arike Ogunbowale combined for 67 points in the Dallas win.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow