Representing their country in international competitions is a special honor and an opportunity players should jump at whenever it presents itself, even if it threatens to interfere with their WNBA seasons. In Rhyne Howard’s case, it actually might.
Howard leads the WNBA in minutes per game with 34.5. The last time she played fewer than 31 minutes was in a 109-77 blowout win against the Washington Mystics in early June. As she’s suiting up for Team USA at the World Cup in Berlin, she won’t be able to take advantage of the short break some players will get to enjoy before the playoffs. It won’t be an easy tournament either.
That’s a heavy workload for a player hoping to lead her team on a deep playoff run after two consecutive first-round exits. Angel Reese, who leads all Dream frontcourt players in minutes per game, also made the World Cup roster.
Karl Smesko is hoping to give both a bit of a break soon.
“Within the ten days going into that, if we can, hopefully we’re in a position where we can buy them a little bit more time, so that they don’t have to feel like they’re going into the cup all worn out,” Smesko said after the Dream’s 107-95 win against Toronto.
Howard played 36 minutes in that game, highlighting the fact that resting her before the World Cup is easier said than done because of the Dream’s lack of quality depth behind Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada.
There’s a reason Howard plays so many minutes
The reason for Howard’s minute load with the Dream isn’t just a matter of wanting your best players to be on the court as much as possible. It’s also a necessity. Atlanta just doesn’t have good wing depth behind Howard.
Isobel Borlase has great potential—she was named the WNBL MVP this year, after all— but her first WNBA season has been full of ups and downs. She only scored four total points in the Dream’s last four games.
Howard needs to play heavy minutes for the Dream to win, and that won’t change for the rest of the season. Atlanta currently sits in fourth place with a 20-12 record, but that position is not safe. Indiana also has a 20-12 record, and the Mystics and Liberty are both just half a game behind the Dream. The Wings are 1.5 games behind.
Atlanta needs to win as many games as possible to close out the season, which makes resting Howard, in particular, difficult. With Brionna Jones back on the court, managing Reese’s minutes is easier.
Three of the Dream’s eight games going into the World Cup break are against the Fever, Aces, and Lynx. Two more are against a Los Angeles team that should be tanking but still has some great players, and another is against a Phoenix team desperate to make a playoff push after trading for Kelsey Plum.
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