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Dream need to find new ‘motor’ to salvage season

By Bria Felicien

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 30: The Atlanta Dream lines up for the national anthem before the game against the New York Liberty on June 30, 2019 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 30: The Atlanta Dream lines up for the national anthem before the game against the New York Liberty on June 30, 2019 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Fixing the Dream

The Dream have been blown out in more games than they’ve won this season, including in its last three losses.

Atlanta hasn’t played a complete game this season, but the box score doesn’t show that the Dream have been starting just fine. They’ve just been unable to stop opposing runs or push through their own outside shooting drought.

And that’s when things go off the rails.

It happened in the Dream’s the 74-58 loss to the Liberty and the 89-73 loss to the Mystics, a game where Tiffany Hayes had a 16 first-quarter points. And on Tuesday in Minnesota, when the Dream trailed the Lynx by four at halftime, it happened again.

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Atlanta didn’t start the third quarter well, something that isn’t necessarily new, but Hayes got it back within seven pretty quickly. Three bad possessions and one minute later, Atlanta was down by 13. A timeout was called, but the Dream never recovered, losing 85-68 to the Lynx.

Knowing Angel McCoughtry would be out for the start of the season, and planning for her to miss all of it, the Dream staff attempted to put together a roster of size, length and athleticism to physically make up for the loss.

Despite the new additions, the Dream haven’t been playing well. Yes, they need to hit open shots and layups. Yes, they’re working to gel new pieces, but most of them are coming off the bench.

A lot of what Atlanta has been missing hasn’t seemed intangible. If you’ve seen the Dream play this season, you know they’ve been seemingly lacking a fight or consistent energy across the roster and throughout games that we expect to see.

The question, “What’s wrong with the Dream?” has been asked, because while the team wasn’t slated to win a championship necessarily, no one expected 16-point losses to the Liberty and a 2-9 start to the season. Now the question is, “Who is going to step up for the Dream before these games start getting out of control?”

LaChina Robinson, host of ESPN’s Around the Rim podcast, says McCoughtry is the motor Atlanta is used to having. During a “Hot or Not” game in the June 19 episode of the podcast, Robinson, who had worked with the team as a broadcaster since the start of the franchise, discussed what’s ailing the Dream:

"[Last season] They had a lot going for them that allowed them to keep everything going post-Angel McCoughtry. But she is a driving force. She’s a relentless competitor and if you are on her team, once you step between the lines, there are no more games being played. We are at war. And her attitude is a lot of what that team needed in between the lines. I love Atlanta because they have fun and they’re young and they’re athletic, you like their style, they get up and down the floor. But they’re the type of team that has to have a motor. They have to have someone driving them. I always joke, for example, that Jessica Breland and Elizabeth Williams are one of the best frontcourts. Defensively, arguably the best, frontcourts in the league, but super laid back. You know Tiffany and Brittney like to have fun, Renee gets along with everybody so well on the team and kind of keeps everybody light, but Angel McCoughtry is the fire. To me, they’ve been missing their fire. And that doesn’t excuse all the missed shots. But to me there seems to be a going through the motions type attitude early on in the season."

Robinson goes onto say that that was hard for her to say, because it didn’t feel right putting that type of pressure on McCoughtry.

“If she is to return, who knows how she’s going to return,” Robinson said. “She should not have to come back and save this team. To me, this team is talented enough to win without her. I guess everybody’s settling into new roles and it’s just taking them a while to get going but I’m concerned because the season is only 34 games long, and it’s time to get a sense of urgency.”

Head coach Nicki Collen says McCoughtry is missed on the team due to her supreme confidence.

“Angel was never fearful of a big moment,” Collen said. “I’m not saying we have a group that is, what I’m saying is she’s been there, she’d done it. She didn’t always make the right play, she didn’t always make the right shot, she didn’t always make the shot, but she had zero fear in ever trying to make that play or trying to be the person that would stop that run.”

The thing is, McCoughtry isn’t currently available for the Dream. She has recently posted videos on her Instagram story doing workouts along the wall of Georgia State’s practice gym, but there is no timetable for her return.

So the Dream must find a “fire” and “motor” from its current available players. Who can bring it? Who is capable of stepping up?

Renee Montgomery has won two championships with Minnesota and is a vocal leader who is a “glue.” Jessica Breland and Elizabeth Williams are without a doubt the quietest players on the team. Brittney Sykes and Monique Billings have brought hustle and energy off the bench this season, though are still young.

Plus, Collen is also hesitant to put that pressure on one player, especially when it may not be that player’s comfort zone because that would change how they play.

She said, “How much of that has to be our best player?” Tiffany Hayes, while the team’s leading score and a 2018 All-WNBA selection, isn’t known to talk much. She’d rather lead by example.

The team has decided to go the collective route, according to Collen and Hayes.

“It’s easier said than done,” Hayes said following the Liberty loss. “But we’re professional athletes, we need to figure out a way to get it done. We need each other. We gotta bring the energy to each other. We can’t get in our own heads and if you’re not making shots, keep playing on defense.”

The Dream recently participated in axe-throwing, which seemed to be a form of team bonding before the start of their current road trip, which included Tuesday’s game in Minnesota and games at the Storm and Mercury.

If that sounds strange, well, so does this team sitting at 2-9.

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