The Atlanta Dream have made a series of important changes during the offseason, notably hiring Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast and bringing in top players like Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to strengthen the roster alongside Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. These strategic moves have already shown positive results as the Dream currently hold the third-best record in the WNBA, trailing only Minnesota and New York. With an 8-3 start, this marks one of the franchise's best performances through the first 11 games since joining the league as an expansion team in 2008; the only other time they matched this was in 2016, before experiencing a tough losing streak.
Allisha Gray has thrived in Smesko's system, achieving a personal best by shooting 51 percent from the field and 42 percent from the three-point range. Her impressive performance earned her the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May. Gray attributes her success to Smesko's offensive strategy and his attention to detail, which has boosted her confidence in taking shots.
Brittney Griner is joining the team as a free agent after a highly successful eleven-season career with Phoenix, where she was the first overall pick in the 2013 draft. Playing alongside so much talent, Griner feels less pressure to perform at an elite level nightly for the Dream to be victorious. For instance, in a recent 33-point win over Washington, she only had four shot attempts, highlighting the team’s depth and collaborative nature. Griner expressed relief that their success does not rely solely on her scoring, saying, “Before, if I only took three shots in the game, it was a loss. Now, we’re winning by 25.”
Last week, both New York and Minnesota experienced their first defeats of the season, which allowed the Lynx to overtake the Liberty for the top position in the rankings. The Dream moved up to third place, followed by Phoenix and Seattle. Connecticut, Chicago, and Dallas filled out the lower tier of the rankings.
In addition to team developments, the WNBA also launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening ties to communities by marking official WNBA three-point lines on public basketball courts across the nation. Bethany Donaphin, the WNBA's head of league operations, expressed enthusiasm for this initiative as a way to expand access and representation, especially for young girls inspired by the league.
Gray has also received the Player of the Week title for the second time this season, averaging 23.3 points, six rebounds, and 4.3 assists while leading the Dream to a perfect 3-0 week. Other notable players under consideration for the award included Napheesa Collier from Minnesota and Sabrina Ionescu from New York. Lastly, as Indiana prepares to face Las Vegas on Sunday, the availability of star player A’ja Wilson remains uncertain due to ongoing concussion protocol.
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