WNBA: With a new coach and new stars, the Dream are ready for a new era

A new era of Atlanta Dream basketball begins.

Not only did the organization hire a new head coach in Karl Smesko, but they also made two of the splashiest free agency signings in team history, bringing in two top-tier bigs in Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. These moves were made in hopes of elevating the Dream’s core of Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada from the mess of mediocrity into the WNBA’s elite.

So, will Atlanta’s experiment work, with a re-envisioned and revitalized Dream becoming more than, rather than remaining less than, the sum of their parts? Or, will it be another season of fits and starts in the ATL, where the team fails reach their promise and potential?

Here are three reasons to believe in the Dream, followed by two reasons to remain cautious about Atlanta’s upside:

Why Atlanta can achieve their Dream in 2025

1. The Smesko-ization of the offense

Led by a tandem of Howard and Gray, the Dream have had too much talent to finish a combined 12 games under .500 during the pair’s two seasons together.

The hiring of Smesko as head coach inspires optimism in the ability of the organization to reverse this trend by optimizing Howard and Gray, both as a duo and as individuals. Instead of overburdening them with offensive responsibilities, requiring them to fight for tough buckets in stagnant halfcourt situations, Smesko, who turned Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU) into a mid-major threat during his 22 seasons in Fort Myers through a modern offensive system that prioritized shooting and spacing, is expected to unleash Atlanta’s latent offensive potential, resulting in Howard and Gray not only earning their third-straight All-Star honors, but also leading the Dream an All-Star-caliber record.

While the incorporation of the Brittney Griner-Brionna Jones frontcourt does raise questions about how all the pieces will fit together, Dream fans can be confident that their team will not be the league’s lowest-scoring, worst-shooting and least-efficient offense, as was the case in 2024.

2. More Jordin Canada!

Assisting Atlanta’s improvement will be Canada, whose debut season with the Dream was marred by flukey hand and finger injuries that limited her to 20 regular-season games. She led the team with a per game net rating of +1.1, despite contributing less efficient scoring compared to her career 2023 season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Her offensive organization was evident, as was her defensive determination.

Hopefully, the Dream will benefit from a fully-healthy season from Canada. And even if her outside shooting stroke remains inconsistent, an enhanced offensive environment should see her score more efficiently, all while continuing to provide solid playmaking and disruptive defensive.

3. Versatile, reliable depth

A lack of quality depth proved problematic for Atlanta in 2024.

When Canada was sidelined, the team was left without a starting-level point guard, which, in turn, overextended Howard and Gray as primary creators. When Howard missed nearly a month of action, the team went 1-9, lacking sufficient shooting and scoring threats. Although both Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Aerial Powers were subpar when they played, losing both to season-ending injuries further sapped Atlanta of viable, veteran talent.

This year’s squad is better suited to survive the wear and tear that is sure to come during the league’s first-ever 44-game season.

While the starry offseason additions of Griner and Jones will strengthen the frontcourt, the signing of Shatori Walker-Kimbrough could be almost as valuable. A seasoned reserve, Walker-Kimbrough is capable of raising her play when called upon, providing floor-raising offense as a creator for herself and others. Offseason growth from Naz Hillmon, which she demonstrated as a primary offensive option in the WNBL and as a pick-and-roll partner in Unrivaled, and Maya Caldwell, who showed off as a scorer, rebounder and passer in Athletes Unlimited, suggests they likewise will be prepared to adapt their roles and adjust their play as needed. A healthy season from Nia Coffey, who, based on the alternating up-and-down 3-point shooting seasons that have characterized her career, is due for positive regression in 2025, gives Atlanta another reliable, versatile wing. Add in a seemingly ready-made rookie in Te-Hina Paopao, and the Dream shouldn’t crater if an injury or two strikes.

…but it might take time

1. Expect some stretches of struggles

Even if Atlanta achieves their highest outcomes, with the double-big Griner-Jones partnership proving a perfect fit alongside the Howard-Gray-Canada perimeter trio, it likely will take time for the best version of the team to blossom.

While a 44-game regular season offers more time to make things work, stretches of less-than-seamless play that result in losses still could be costly for Atlanta, denying them homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs or putting them on the fringes of the playoff picture, fighting for a postseason berth.

Patience will be required, but a WNBA full of talented teams will wait for no squad that experiences understandable struggles.

2. Shooting is still inadequate

The Dream will no longer be a dreadful shooting team. Yet, they still might not be good enough.

While both Howard and Gray will shoot a high volume of triples, the pair, as the team’s primary perimeter scorers, need the floor spaced around them, giving them room to go to work. Paopao and Walker-Kimbrough should be credible threats from behind the arc, but, otherwise, Atlanta does not employ surefire spacers. Caldwell is still unproven. Coffey, as mentioned above, is inconsistent. Canada will be dared to shoot. Hillmon and Haley Jones are non-shooters. Maybe Griner’s expanded range is real? (Although, it’s hard to see BG’s effectiveness from behind the arc ever outweighing the gravity she possesses as an interior presence.)

Atlanta’s offense should (finally) enter the 2020s in the 2025 season. But, the team doesn’t appear to have the shooting firepower required to be one of the league’s best attacks.