The WNBA announced its six-member All-Rookie team, which includes Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx), Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings), Flau’jae Johnson (Seattle Storm), Sydney Taylor (Chicago Sky), Pauline Astier (New York Liberty) and Kiki Rice (Toronto). Although normally only five rookies are selected, Rice and Astier received an equal number of media votes, resulting in an additional slot.
Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick, appeared in 30 regular season games for Dallas before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He averaged 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Fudd was fifth in points per game, first in steals per game, second in blocks per game, third in three-point percentage (.397) and first in three-point field goals made per game (2.1).
Olivia Miles, the No. 3 pick in the draft, led the Minnesota Lynx to a league-best record with averages of 19.8 points, 6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Miles was named WNBA Rookie of the Month this season and was named Western Conference Player of the Week twice. She set several records in her rookie campaign, including the most games by a rookie in WNBA history with at least 20 points and a 50/40/90% shooting split (6).
Kiki Rice, the No. 6 draft pick, averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He shot 47.2% from the field, 35.1% from three-point range and 86.9% from the free throw line, ranking fourth among juniors in field goal scoring.
Flau’jae Johnson, the No. 8 overall pick this year, has made an immediate impact in Seattle, starting all 42 games this season and averaging 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks. She became the first player in WNBA history to record 600+ points, 200+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 50+ steals and 28+ blocks.
Sidney Taylor, who went undrafted, averaged 13.6 points and 2.0 assists in 37 games. She became the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and finished the season as the league’s rookie leader in three-pointers (71). He finished as the third leading rookie scorer in the league.
Pauline Astier, who also left the draft, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. She closed the season with a .635 true shooting percentage, the highest mark among WNBA rookies with at least 200 field goal attempts. Her 54.6 percent field goal percentage was the highest by a rookie guard in WNBA or NBA history with at least 250 attempts.
In addition to the six rookies featured, there were a number of other notable rookies this season including Laura Juskaite (Toronto Tempo), Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics), Awa Fam (Seattle Storm) and others.