There was actually a time this season when Atlanta Dream fans were upset that the team signed WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner to their roster at the expense of Jaylyn Sherrod’s contract.
Crazy, right?
Almost wild as the fact that many fans also wanted to send point guard Jordin Canada to the Los Angeles Sparks for Kelsey Plum or to Dallas for Arike Ogunbowale.
Just imagine where the Dream would be without the two of them.
Canada (25 points) and Bonner (23 points off the bench) weren’t the only players who mattered in the Dream’s win over the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals on Sunday. (Angel Reese’s 17-point/seven-“stock” performance, as well as Rhyne Howard’s near-triple-double should get their flowers, too.)
But these two undersung engineers of the clutch playoff win deserve all the more credit because they’re playing their best basketball of the season at the most important time.
Not many people knew what to expect from the 39-year-old Bonner when she joined Atlanta following a buyout agreement with the Phoenix Mercury, where she’d averaged 10.6 points a game but struggled with efficiency from the field, in search of one last playoff run before retiring.
A veteran presence off the bench? Sure. A difference-maker? Eh.
The detractors couldn’t have had it more wrong.
Not only has Bonner been an impactful scorer, rebounder, and defender in a reserve role, but her effect on the Dream’s mentality and poise has been incredible. To this point, Atlanta has not lost a game she has played for them yet. And when/if that eventually does happen, her championship mettle and battle-tested pedigree in the playoffs will help calm the waters for the next game.
It’s to the point where Dream fans are actively campaigning for her to stick around for next season, when she’ll be 40.
Whether she stays or not, though, Atlanta should count itself lucky it didn’t try to offload Canada at the deadline.
Canada, who will have one year left on her two-year $1.3 million contract, has been sensational down the stretch for the Dream, scoring in double figures in each of her last six games. Arguably as impressive as her season-high 25-point outburst on Sunday, though, were her five steals, all of which often directly led to points.
Her 7.3 assist-per-game average is also the highest of her career, showing she’s gone from simply being a pace-pusher and poacher to an all-around essential piece of this Dream squad.
What their performances mean for the Dream
With Allisha Gray missing most of Sunday’s win with a hand injury and likely to be limited going forward, Bonner and Canada will become even more essential to Atlanta’s success as they tussle with an experienced Liberty team with the WNBA Finals on the line.
Bonner paced the bench scoring for both teams in a game where scoring was at a premium for the reserves. Meanwhile, Canada’s ability to pick up the scoring and defensive voids left by Gray—while playing with five fouls, no less—was critical to closing out the game.
If Gray is out on Wednesday, the task becomes tougher. One wonders if it might even force Bonner into the starting lineup if head coach Karl Smesko prefers not to go with Te-Hina Paopao or rookie Izzy Borlase. Given how important Gray was to defending Sabrina Ionescu, who came out guns blazing in Game 1 with 27 points, it’s going to be imperative for Atlanta to step up their coverage on Ionescu while continuing to make life tough for Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.
One thing’s for certain, though: the Dream clearly need Bonner and Canada to keep playing at this level if they want to win a championship. And if they can pull it off, we better not hear any more slander about either one of them again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google