On Friday, the Atlanta Dream announced that point guard Jordin Canada will be out for at least two weeks after she injured her knee in the team's preseason game on Wednesday against the Mystics. It isn't the worst-case scenario fans were worried about, but it's still concerning.
Canada played only 20 games in her first season in Atlanta in 2024 because of hand and finger injuries. The Dream missed her impact on both ends of the court -- from her playmaking to her defense. Atlanta finished the season with the lowest offensive rating in the league (96.6), which wouldn't have been the case if Canada hadn't gotten hurt.
Fans hope the 2025 season won't end with a similar result, but it hasn't started promisingly. Canada is the team's lone true point guard, making her void even more challenging to fill. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray will have added weight on their shoulders to guide the team offensively until Canada returns.
Again, the good news is that she won't be out long-term, but it's not ideal for the Dream to start the season at a disadvantage. Two weeks from today is Friday, May 23. The Dream said Canada will be out for at least two weeks, meaning it could be more. Based on that, she'll be out for their season-opener against the Mystics and their following two games against the Fever. Washington is a young team dealing with injuries, but Indiana significantly boosted its roster around Caitlin Clark during the offseason.
Dream will be without Jordin Canada for at least two weeks
One of the ways that new head coach Karl Smesko wants to revamp Atlanta's offense is by upping the number of three-point attempts. That was evident immediately in their preseason game on Wednesday, as Brittney Griner hit a three-pointer off an assist from Canada on the first possession. Griner shot 2-for-2 from three in the win, matching the second time in her career that she hit two threes.
Brionna Jones even took a three-pointer. She didn't hit it, but her shooting it was enough evidence of Smesko wanting his team to shoot more threes, even the bigs. The Dream shot 12-of-35 from three, not a bad start, even if it was only the preseason. Placing more emphasis on the three-ball, combined with the production from Howard, Griner, and Gray, should keep Atlanta in a better spot offensively than last season when Canada missed time.
The Dream will miss Canada's facilitating, but at least the injury isn't more severe.