The Atlanta Dream lost to the Connecticut Sun on Friday night 84-76 in a shocking upset, resulting in the Sun’s second victory of the season. The previous matchup between the two teams took place less than two weeks ago and ended in a 24-point victory for the Dream. This loss is particularly surprising as the Dream had Brittney Griner and Jordin Canada available after they missed Atlanta’s first matchup with Connecticut. What went wrong for the Dream and how can they address the problem before their remaining Commissioner’s Cup games?
Atlanta Dream long-term reasons for optimism
It is a good thing for the Dream to have multiple players returning from injury. In addition to Canada making her season debut from a preseason injury, Griner was able to play 25 minutes after missing multiple games and being limited in the last Dream game against the Seattle Storm. Te-Hina Paopao was unavailable for the previous matchup between the Sun and Dream but played in Atlanta’s last four games.
Having starters Brionna Jones, Brittney Griner, Allisha Gray, and Rhyne Howard all available to play 24+ minutes is a positive for Atlanta. Although Canada only played 17 minutes, she had the best +/- statistics of the team’s five starters, despite not scoring any points from the field, which demonstrates her ability to positively impact the game on defense and as a facilitator. Not having their starting five available throughout the preseason and the first seven games of the regular season surely impacted team chemistry and having a full roster available should benefit the Dream in the long run.
Short-term reasons for concern
Atlanta showed signs of challenging the top teams in the league after racing to a 5-2 record. Their last game was an upset victory over the Seattle Storm, in which Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined for 61 points. Their positive momentum was abruptly halted by the loss to the Sun, who had previously been winless at home.
While Jordin Canada’s overall statistics seemed positive in comparison to the other starters, she did not look in sync with her teammates. She had two turnovers in just 17 minutes of playing time while shooting 0-7 from the floor, including 0-4 from three-point range. Canada is considered one of Atlanta’s best defenders but lacked the size to match up with Marina Mabrey for the Connecticut Sun, who led the Sun to victory with her 34 points marking her best output of a chaotic season.
Moving forward with increased playing time for Te-Hina Paopao
Fans on social media have begun calling for increased playing time for rookie Te-Hina Paopao. After Canada’s initial preseason injury, Paopao started multiple games for the Dream: In the first three games of the regular season, prior to being knocked out of the game against the Dallas Wings with an injury, Paopao averaged 24+ minutes per game. Her best game of the season was her last fully healthy game, in which she shot 3-6 from three-point range on her way to 11 total points in 30 minutes against the Indiana Fever. However, Paopao has yet to hit double-digit minutes since her return from injury.
While the Atlanta coaching staff has seemed to prefer veterans Maya Caldwell and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough in their guard rotation, Paopao may provide a shooting threat that the team needs in new head coach Karl Smesko’s system. She is just 3-5 shooting in her last two games while only playing 16 total minutes, but her presence on the arc may free up better looks for the rest of Atlanta’s players. Look to see how Smesko adjusts the Atlanta playing time as the Dream look for better results in their final 2025 matchup against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night.