{"id":205997,"date":"2025-10-07T01:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T01:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/205997\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T01:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T01:29:09","slug":"despite-a-first-round-upset-the-atlanta-dream-began-to-build-a-championship-foundation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/205997\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite a first-round upset, the Atlanta Dream began to build a championship foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Near the end of the regular season, I went full doomer about the Atlanta Dream\u2019s playoff prospects, writing<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The desire to believe in the 2025 Atlanta Dream is tempered by the city\u2019s history of sports traumas. Surely, at the season\u2019s most crucial moments, the 3-pointers will not fall, bunnies will be blown, passes will sail to no one, defensive rotations will be missed, dumb fouls will be committed and mindless mistakes will accumulate. The dread looms.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t quite that bad. But the Dream\u2019s season ended with disappointment, upset as the No. 3 seed in the first round of the WNBA playoffs by the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever. Same, old Atlanta sports.<\/p>\n

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Or, maybe not.<\/p>\n

After their Game 3 elimination, the team refused to wallow in worst-case scenarios. While recognizing, in the words of head coach Karl Smesko, it was a \u201cdevastating ending\u201d and \u201cdeflating,\u201d he and his players chose to emphasize the progress that was achieved, rather than the potential that went unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

Smesko declared, \u201cWe\u2019re here to bring a championship to the Dream and\u2026it\u2019s going to be delayed. It\u2019s not going to be denied.\u201d Jordin Canada echoed her coach, insisting, \u201cAnd like coach said, what\u2019s delayed is not denied. Atlanta will be back. I guarantee that\u2026Everything happens for a reason and so we\u2019ll learn from this and\u2026we\u2019ll continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allisha Gray added, \u201cA lot of people didn\u2019t expect us to play as well and be in the position that we are in. So, I just credit Big Wheez (Smesko) for the turnaround of the team\u2026[He] brought the vision and we believed in it and as players\u2026I wouldn\u2019t pick another group to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n

With distance from the immediacy of the series defeat, it\u2019s easier to endorse the optimistic perspective shared by Smesko, Canada and Gray. The Dream see the 2025 season as the foundation of future success, one that will not crack and crumble after one first-round exit, but one that will be strengthened by what the team achieved in the first year of the Smesko era.<\/p>\n

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In particular, two, big under-the-radar traits will contribute to the solid foundation that the Dream should build on in seasons to come. (As long as, at least for the moment, we presume that the 2026 WNBA season will proceed as scheduled.)<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s not just the offense\"<p>Rhyne<\/p>\n

Rhyne Howard swipes the ball from Azur\u00e1 Stevens. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Dream\u2019s offense received the bulk of attention for the team\u2019s success. And rightfully so. A reputed offensive wizard, Smesko successfully implemented a fast-paced, high-scoring offensive fueled by a high volume of 3-pointers, despite inheriting a roster featuring traditional bigs. The Dream finished with the second-best offensive rating in the league at 108.2, powered by taking and making the second-most 3-pointers per game.<\/p>\n

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Gray was the avatar of Atlanta\u2019s high-octane offense. A player who has improved season by season over the course of her nine-year WNBA career, Gray blossomed into superstardom in 2025, deservedly earning MVP consideration and forthcoming All-WNBA First Team honors as Smesko empowered her to maximize her aggressiveness as a scorer. She scored a career-high 18.4 points per game, launching more than six 3s per contest and converting over 38 percent of them.<\/p>\n

However, Atlanta would not have won a franchise-record 30 games, tying for the second-best record in the league and registering the second-best net rating of 9.3, without an equally elite defense. The Dream\u2019s 98.9 defensive rating was second only to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. Atlanta effectively ended possessions, topping the league in defensive rebounds and defensive rebounding percentage. They also prevented opponents from cashing in on easier scores off turnovers or in transition, holding opponents to league lows in both categories.<\/p>\n

Excelling in those defensive effort categories is evidence of the total buy in Smesko earned from his players. They did not just work to actualize his vision on the \u201cmore fun\u201d side of the ball, but also on the less glamorous end of the floor. The defensive commitment by Rhyne Howard particularly stood out. Blessed with a blend of size, sleekness and swiftness that makes her an enviably versatile defender, Howard applied all that on the defensive end, willingly taking on tough assignments, whether that involved picking up players on the perimeter and pestering their handles or banging down low against bigger matchups. She also was essential to the Dream\u2019s strong transition defense, frequently racing back to swat the layups of unsuspecting opponents.<\/p>\n

That Atlanta began to build winning systems on both sides of the ball inspires confidence in the sustainability of their success.<\/p>\n

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2. The player development is real\"<p>Naz<\/p>\n

Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard and Te-Hina Paopao help up Maya Caldwell. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a coincidence when multiple players turn in career seasons. Instead, it\u2019s a testament to an organization that is invested in helping players reach their potential.<\/p>\n

The aforementioned Gray finished on the Most Improved Player ballot, as she vaulted from an All-Star-caliber player to one worthy of MVP votes; however, Naz Hillmon, awarded the Sixth Player of the Year, arguably experienced a more demonstrative transformation.<\/p>\n

How she went from a hesitant 3-point shooter (1-for-5 from 3 across her first three seasons) to a viable floor spacer who confidently fired away from behind the arc (53-for-165 in her fourth season) is illustrative of her overall development, where Hillmon was committed to expanding her game in the areas necessary to help the team. That mindset also applies to Gray\u2019s offensive outburst and Howard\u2019s defensive dedication. It further extends to Brionna Jones, who embraced taking an average of one 3-pointer per game, even if the results didn\u2019t quite materialize for the eight-year vet.<\/p>\n

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Maya Caldwell\u2019s development also shouldn\u2019t be overlooked. Caldwell earned her first full-time WNBA season with a single squad, and she was not simply satisfied with seizing a roster spot but also demanded a rotational role. Caldwell claimed career highs in most statistical categories as she played the most minutes of her career. She showed off a multidimensional offensive skill set, taking open 3s, attacking closeouts and cutting into open space. Defensively, she demonstrated persistence, sticking to her assignment and fighting through screens.<\/p>\n

While rookie Te-Hina Paopao\u2019s proven ability as a pull-up shooter made her WNBA-ready from the jump, she likewise solidified her game during her debut season. She gained noticeable on-the-ball comfort and confidence over the course of the season, introducing a silky floater and craftier finishing around the rim to complement her 3-point proficiency.<\/p>\n

General manager Dan Padover was named WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year for the third time in his career for putting together this Dream team. His shrewd moves, however, would not have been worthy of reward without the work of a coaching staff that was eager to coax improved and expanded play from players and, in turn, players who, absorbing that sense of belief instilled in them, put in the time and energy required to make it a reality.<\/p>\n

This iteration of the Dream cannot yet claim a playoff series victory, but they can celebrate a culture that seems sure to lead to eventual postseason promise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Near the end of the regular season, I went full doomer about the Atlanta Dream\u2019s playoff prospects, writing:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[4130,3444,5479,18417,2839,4807,18418,85511,1077,5484,18118,99,9219,38140,434,83943],"class_list":{"0":"post-205997","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-allisha-gray","9":"tag-atlanta-dream","10":"tag-azura-stevens","11":"tag-brionna-jones","12":"tag-indiana-fever","13":"tag-jordin-canada","14":"tag-karl-smesko","15":"tag-maya-caldwell","16":"tag-minnesota-lynx","17":"tag-naz-hillmon","18":"tag-rhyne-howard","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-te-hina-paopao","21":"tag-the-dream","22":"tag-wnba","23":"tag-wnba-season"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}