Atlanta Dream May Find Their Biggest Advantage on the Sidelines This Season
Between Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, Jordin Canada, Brionna Jones, and Naz Hillmon, the Atlanta Dream’s roster features all of the talent and promise that a playoff team and title contender could hope for. While Jones’ knee injury, which required her to have surgery, is concerning, the team looks even better than it did last season, when it finished with the third-best record in the league.
There is one thing that can make such a deeply talented group even better: a great coach.
Last year’s Coach of the Year award came down to two rookie head coaches: the Golden State Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase and the Dream’s Karl Smesko. Nakase ultimately won the award, as she led her squad to a historic playoff appearance and set a new standard for expansion teams.
Smesko was a legitimate candidate, though. He led the Dream to a franchise-best 30 wins, and several players had career years in his system. Allisha Gray made the jump from All-Star to MVP candidate, and Naz Hillmon became a 3-point threat and won Sixth Player of the Year.
Smesko did all of that in just his first season as a WNBA head coach. Now, imagine how much better he may be this season with more experience and significant continuity on the roster.
His experience from last season should allow Smesko to make better adjustments, have even better game plans, and fine-tune his system—all of which could be huge for a team looking to compete for a championship with some of the best-coached teams in the league. Becky Hammon proved all over again why she is such an esteemed coach in last year’s finals, handily outcoaching the Phoenix Mercury’s Nate Tibetts. Stephanie White took an Indiana Fever team that had lost several key players, including Caitlin Clark, to season-ending injuries to Game 5 of the semifinals.
Smesko already noted a difference compared to his first season
Smesko and the Dream opened their preseason with a game against the Chicago Sky. They played without Jones and Hillmon, and Reese, Howard, Canada, and Gray all played just around ten minutes. Nevertheless, the Dream secured an 87-78 win. Youngsters Te-Hina Paopao, Madina Okot, Sika Kone, and Isobel Borlase held down the fort.
While Smesko acknowledged that there was still a lot of work to do before the start of the regular season, he noted an important difference compared to his first year.
“I just think I’m a lot better prepared for managing the games and managing the time between games and even this training camp,” Smesko told reporters in the media availability after the game per a YouTube Video from The Ballers Magazine.
Smesko and his players are entering a season with sky-high expectations
The Dream already looked like a dark-horse contender last season, but flamed out in the first round, unable to beat a short-handed Indiana Fever team.
Still, with the amount of talent on the roster for this season and the continuity with all core players opting to re-sign, the expectation for the Dream isn’t just to make the playoffs. It’s to win in the postseason and make a push for the championship.
There is also a lot of individual pressure, particularly on Smesko, Gray, and Reese. Smesko needs to prove that he can take steps forward as a coach after exceeding expectations last season, Gray has to solidify her standing as an MVP candidate, and Reese must prove that she can be a key piece on a contender.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.