The Atlanta Dream made some big changes ahead of the 2025 season. Most significantly, the Dream signed All-Star bigs Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. Adding Jones and Griner to the already established core of Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada was a bold move. So far, it has been a resounding success. That is one way the Dream nailed the 2024-25 offseason.
The Dream also made some changes to the coaching staff, replacing head coach Tanisha Wright with Karl Smesko. That decision has paid off as well. The Dream are thriving with their new frontcourt and new head coach.
Karl Smesko has the Dream playing at a high level
The WNBA saw a record number of coaching changes this offseason. Several teams hired first-time head coaches. The Sparks, Wings, Sky, Valkyries, Sun, and Dream all feature brand-new head coaches. Out of that group, the Dream has had the most success—even though Natalie Nakase and the Valkyries are widely exceeding expectations.
Smesko, who coached at the college level before taking over in Atlanta, led his team to seven wins and third place in the regular-season standings. The only teams ahead of Atlanta are the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.
As a college coach, Smesko made a name for himself as an offensive mastermind, running a high-functioning system that relied heavily on threes. That success has translated to the WNBA, as Smesko quickly revamped the Dream’s offense. Last season, Atlanta ranked last in offensive rating. This season, the Dream rank third behind only the Liberty and Lynx.
Smesko’s 3-point-heavy offense has allowed Allisha Gray to thrive—she is in the midst of a career season—and created the space necessary to make the Griner-Jones duo work.
The fact that Smesko found success so quickly with a roster that underwent some significant changes and with Jordin Canada out to start the season, makes his accomplishments even more impressive.
The Dream are a championship contender
Considering the Liberty’s and Lynx’s dominant start to the season, it seems almost inevitable that the two teams will meet in the finals once again. However, no one should count out the Dream. Atlanta is quietly establishing itself as a surprising championship contender.
The Dream haven’t played the Lynx or the Liberty yet, so the biggest challenges of the season are still waiting. Atlanta did beat Indiana and Seattle, though, taking down two of the other teams eying a top-three seed.
Next week, on June 17, the Dream will get a chance to see how they match up with the reigning champions. If Allisha Gray keeps scoring like she has and Rhyne Howard doesn’t cool off from her scorching performance against the Sky, the Dream should be able to put up quite the fight against New York. Unlike most teams, Atlanta also has the size to compete with Jonquel Jones in the paint.