The Atlanta Dream have cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the WNBA throughout the 2025 season, becoming just the third team to clinch a spot in the playoffs after a huge win on Friday night.
The Dream are 25-14 through 39 games, sitting in third place in the WNBA with just five games left in the regular season. This season, the Dream have been led by stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, but they have gotten plenty of help from a handful of other important players.
Jun 17, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) and guard Rhyne Howard (10) at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Rhyne Howard, a three-time All-Star, recently joined Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” podcast to talk about teammate Brittney Griner and what she brings to the Dream.
“To have her mind and everything that she’s experienced, I do think it’s helped us, especially like calm down in the stressful situations,” Howard said about Griner. “She knows that it can only get more stressful, especially with us trying to contend for a championship.”
While Howard says Griner’s veteran presence helps the team in high-pressure situations, especially as they approach the postseason, she did clarify that even though she’s a veteran, she still “acts like a kid sometimes.”
Bird also asked Howard how they will use veterans with championship experience, like Griner, Jordin Canada, and Brionna Jones, who will help them once they get to the playoffs and are fighting to get to the Finals.
“I think sometimes we get on their back in certain games, but I think in the playoffs we’ll lean more into what they have to say,” Howard said. “They’ve done it multiple times, and because they’ve been where we’re trying to get to… Just buying into more of what they have to say from their experience. I think that’ll happen.”
Brittney Griner has moved into 13th all-time in WNBA history for Field Goals Made. Griner, with 2,333 career FGM, surpasses Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie to continue climbing the league’s record books. pic.twitter.com/ti7sKIBSzs
— Atlanta Dream PR (@ATLDreamPR) August 30, 2025
Griner has cemented herself as one of the best players the WNBA has ever seen, as a nine-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and one-time champion. While Griner is having the worst statistical season of her WNBA career, she is making a huge impact in Atlanta, simply by being an 11-year veteran with plenty of experience to help this young Dream squad.
For the Dream to make a push for a championship, they will undoubtedly need Griner to step up, both on the court and as a veteran presence, in the playoffs. With the postseason quickly approaching, Griner, Howard, and the Dream certainly need to be ready to play high-pressure basketball.