The WNBA Draft for 2026 brought about two players who were bound to be compared. Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd joined the league as the first and second pick, respectively, playing differently, on different teams, and in different situations.

Midway through the season, one of the two has made strides ahead of the other.

In terms of stats, Miles definitely has the upper hand currently, as she is putting up 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game and leads all rookies in all these stats simultaneously.

Being in such great form while leading the Minnesota Lynx to a 15-4 record in the absence of an All-Star player like Napheesa Collier is definitely the kind of performance that would win the award of Rookie of the Year.

The head-to-head meeting on June 28 added a direct reference point to that argument. When the Lynx visited Dallas, both Miles and Fudd scored 21 points in an 85-77 Minnesota road win. On the scoreboard, it looked even.

The shot attempts told a different story. Miles reached 21 points on 6-of-13 from the field and converted all 8 of her free-throw attempts. Fudd needed 23 shots to match that total.

Even on a night where both rookies produced identical scoring outputs, Miles was the more efficient player, and efficiency is where her edge over Fudd has been most consistent all season.

Fudd is averaging 13.6 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game for the Dallas Wings, and her four steals in that June 28 loss were a genuine display of defensive instincts that do not show up in a basic box score summary. She is a real player making a real case.

But on the combination of scoring volume, playmaking, efficiency, and team success that has historically shaped this award, Miles currently holds the stronger position.

The record books are already feeling the impact of both rookies, and the race is producing history that goes well beyond the award itself.

Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd Are Rewriting the WNBA Rookie Record Books

The Class of 2026 is more than just good; it is extraordinary. The rookie Miles became the first WNBA player to score more than 45 points and 20 assists in her first three career games, while she averages 5.7 assists per game, which is the highest average in Lynx’s rookies' history.

She also broke the WNBA rookie single-game record for three-pointers, draining 8 triples against the Golden State Valkyries on June 4, surpassing the previous mark of 7 shared by Caitlin Clark and Crystal Robinson.

Fudd is rewriting her own set of records on the other side of the bracket. She set a new WNBA rookie record by knocking down five three-pointers in a single quarter against the Las Vegas Aces and broke the Dallas Wings rookie franchise record with 6 threes against the New York Liberty on May 24.

In that same game, she dropped 17 points in the third quarter alone, the second-most single-quarter points by a rookie in league history.

The two rookies also made history together by finishing back-to-back at 10th and 11th in WNBA All-Star fan voting, the first time two rookies from the same draft class have achieved that in league history.

Fudd is shooting 50.3% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc, which gives her the best true shooting percentage among first-pick guard rookies.

However, when going head-to-head, Miles has won all three games against Fudd this season, including their most recent game on June 28, in which both players scored 21 points.

Who would you pick to win the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, Olivia Miles or Azzi Fudd? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta