The Atlanta Dream has been one of the best teams in the league all season long. Hiring Karl Smesko as the team’s new head coach turned out to be a resounding success. Allisha Gray, especially, is thriving in the new system. She’s having a career season and putting together a quiet MVP campaign.
Nevertheless, Gray ranked criminally low in the first returns of the fan All-Star votes. She finished 14th behind players like Lexie Hull, a role player for the Fever, rookies Paige Bueckers and Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese, whose team sit outside the playoff picture.
Gray isn’t the only underrated player on the Dream’s roster either. Te-Hina Paopao is flying under the radar in a stacked rookie class.
Te-Hina Paopao is quietly having a great rookie season
Te-Hina Paopao entered the WNBA as a second-round pick. That is not an easy position to be in, but she made the Dream’s roster and is playing significant minutes. In Jordin Canada’s absence, Paopao even started four games, filling in as the Dream’s point guard.
Over twelve games, Paopao is averaging 6.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. She is scoring incredibly efficiently, especially for a rookie. Paopao is shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from three. The latter leads the league, if you don’t count Diamond Miller, who is shooting 66.7 percent on 0.5 attempts per game.
Paopao has been on a tear as of late, scoring sixteen points in three of her last four games. She converted five threes in her most recent game against the Sky.
The second-round pick may not play as big of a role as some other rookies, but she is playing well and helping her team win.
High draft picks dominate the discourse around the 2025 rookie class
The top of the 2025 WNBA Draft was filled with talent. International players Dominique Malonga and Juste Jocyte are expected to be big stars in the WNBA in a few years. Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen wasted no time proving that they were ready for the next level and have been lighting it up as pros.
The last three names have largely dominated the discourse around the 2025 rookie class. Paopao, who was selected 18th overall and isn’t a focal point of the Dream, has flown under the radar, overshadowed by the bigger names.
And yet, she is proving that she can contribute to a good WNBA team. That should help her compete for a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Those spots will be hard to come by, though. Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen, and Sonia Citron are pretty much locked into three of the five spots. The Golden State Valkyries have some great rookies, mainly Janelle Salaün and Carla Leite, who are playing well, and the Phoenix Mercury’s rookie class has been impressive as well. A few deserving players will have to be left off the All-Rookie Team.