The Atlanta Dream entered the 2025 season with the WNBA’s longest streak of consecutive seasons without a winning record. They made a splash in the offseason by signing free agents Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough along with an entirely new coaching staff. So far, the organization’s efforts seem to have paid off as they are tied for third in the standings as of June 2nd, trailing just the undefeated 2024 WNBA finalists New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.
The Dream’s 5-2 record includes their current four-game winning streak against Dallas, Connecticut, Los Angeles, and Seattle. While some have noted that Atlanta has yet to play a team with a winning record this season (based on current records), they should be ready to battle throughout June’s Commissioner’s Cup games with two All-Stars hopefully returning to the lineup and full health.
Jordin Canada and Brittney Griner missing time
Jordin Canada left the Atlanta Dream’s preseason opener with a knee injury in the season’s first minute. The team originally announced that Canada would be re-evaluated after two weeks and Canada recently posted the following on social media:
Atlanta has a full week off between Friday games, which could give Canada enough time to re-join the team before their Commissioner’s Cup matchup against the Connecticut Sun.
With Atlanta’s depth already suffering due to Canada’s injury, Brittney Griner was a surprise addition to the Dream’s injury report prior to the May 25th game against Connecticut. She played 30 minutes the previous night against the Dallas Wings and many assumed the off day would be for veteran rest after a productive start to the season for Griner. However, the future Hall of Famer was then declared out for the May 27th game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Griner did return for the May 30th contest against the Seattle Storm, although she only played 15 minutes and scored just two points in her limited playing time. It remains to be seen how much Griner will play going forward and how the team will manage her rest. The presence of Brionna Jones on the roster helps mitigate the missing minutes from Griner, as Jones can play the center position. Additionally, the contributions from the rest of Atlanta’s roster helped Atlanta maintain their winning streak while Griner was limited at the end of May.
Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray have carried the team
Returning All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray stepped up throughout the month of May. Some notable performances include:
• 20 points for Howard and 16 points for Gray in Atlanta’s win over Indiana on the road.
• 15 points for Howard and 25 points for Gray in Atlanta’s win over Los Angeles on the road.
• 33 points for Howard and 28 points for Gray in Atlanta’s win over Seattle on the road.
Gray should be in All-WNBA conversations with career-high offensive stats, shooting 49.5% from the field, 43.5% from three-point range, and averaging 21.4 points per game. Although Howard has struggled at times offensively, she was instrumental in playing defense on Caitlin Clark in two games against the Indiana Fever and showed improvement in her shooting efficiency in the Dream’s last game.
Atlanta’s bench players have taken advantage of available minutes
Although rookie Te-Hina Paopao has seen her minutes decline as the Dream have opted to start Maya Caldwell at the guard position in the last three games, Caldwell has helped strengthen the team’s defense and played a team-high 36 minutes in the Dream win over the Sun.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough has averaged over 16 minutes per game over the Dream’s four-game winning streak with a season-high ten points in the win over Los Angeles.
Naz Hillmon has averaged over 25 minutes per game over the three games with Griner limited, while Nia Coffey started the two games in Griner’s absence, earning a double-double against Connecticut with 11 rebounds and 18 points.
Overall, Atlanta’s new coaching staff seems to be utilizing the team’s strengths well and Atlanta should be poised to continue its success throughout the month of June. The return of Griner and Canada should help ease the usage for the rest of the roster.