On Sunday night, Angel Reese announced to Atlantans assembled at Birthday Bash: “We the number one team right now in the W!”
No lies told. At 4-1, Reese’s Atlanta Dream are the WNBA’s lone one-loss team, with sole claim to the top spot in the standings.
On Wednesday night in Minneapolis, the Dream will put that
status to the test against the Minnesota Lynx (9 p.m. ET, USA Network).
From the persepctive of a Dream fan well versed in the ways that Atlanta sports teams, especially those with expectations, tend to disappoint in drastic and debilitating fashion, Angel’s boldness is both exhilarating and anxiety-inducing.
Just as envisioned, Reese is injecting the team with a new level of confidence, assurance and star power. But with that spotlight also comes an unfamiliar level of pressure, provoking a dread that, despite all the good vibes, something is going to go wrong.
It is encouraging, however, that the Dream are 4-1, even as things haven’t exactly gone right. Atlanta has the best record in the WNBA, although they have not played near their best.
While the defense is top tier, ranked No. 1 in the league with a 98.3 defensive rating, the offense has been below standard. The second-best offense in the WNBA las season with a 108.2 offensive rating, the Dream currently have an offensive rating of 103.7, good for 11th in the league.
A dip in shooting, particularly from 3, is a significant culprit.
The Dream’s volume and percentage from deep is down, although beginning to progress towards expectations. After shooting no better than 28 percent from 3 through their first three games, Atlanta has scratched above 40 percent in two-straight games. Their volume, however, is not at the consistently high rate that head coach Karl Smesko preaches and prefers.
With Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Te-Hina Paopao, the Dream have the shooters to suggest those numbers will continue trend in the right direction.
The introduction of Reese, inevitably, has and will alter the Dream’s offensive profile, as Angel, not yet a reliable 3-point shooter, is most effective as a off-the-dribble driver. Comments from Smesko indicate that the team has a plan for steadily maximizing Angel’s contributions on that end, which, in turn, should elevate the overall offense.
The absence of Brionna Jones, still out after an offseason knee injury and procedure, also robs the Dream an offensive safety valve, as Breezy long has been one of the most-efficient post scorers in the league.
Even if the process of optimizing the Dream offense is a slow one, the defense has proven to be enough to allow Atlanta to claw their way into any game. Due to those offensive inconsistencies, the Dream have found themselves trailing by 15 or more points in three games.
They came back to win two of the them, while losing the other by a single point.
Obviously, falling behind by double digits is not ideal. Yet, demonstrating the resiliency required to overcome such adversity is impressive, outweighing, albeit not totally erasing, the concerns caused by the big deficits.
What do we think, Dream fans?
Is the team just getting started? Will this elite defense keep the team at the top of the league? Or, does the offense need to also reach a top-five mark? Do you agree that the comebacks are reasons for confidence, rather than concern? Do you need to see a big win over the Lynx to be more convinced? And, how much are you loving the Angel Era?
Will reinforcements help the Liberty and Mercury get on the right track?
If the vibes are approaching an all-time high in Atlanta, they’re doing the opposite in Brooklyn and Phoenix, as the 2024 champions and 2025 runner-ups are off to stumbling starts.
The New York Liberty have lost three-straight games for the first time since 2022, falling to 3-4. The Phoenix Mercury likewise have lost three-straight games, putting them, at 2-5, only above the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA standings.
The two struggling veteran teams meet in Barclays Center on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, USA Network).
Both teams can at least attempt to ease their anxieties by telling themselves that the returns of key players will kickstart turnarounds.
The squads are both expected to benefit from such a boost on Wednesday. Leonie Fiebich isn’t on the Liberty’s injury report, indicating the 3-and-D maestro will make her season debut. For the Mercury, Monique Akoa Makani is probable to play.
New York, however, might be missing Sabrina Ionescu (back), Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (personal) and Satou Sabally (illness), as all three are listed as questionable. Ionescu, who had been dealing with a foot injury, is now, somewhat alarmingly, uncertain due to back soreness.
But, since head coaches Chris DeMarco, in his first season in Brooklyn, and Nate Tibbetts, now in Year 3 leading Phoenix, both were long-time NBA assistant coaches before jumping to top jobs in the W, they should have no problem navigating these challenges? Right?
Currently, are you more worried about New York or Phoenix?
Are these just early-season blips? Or, do these teams have real issues? What different decisions would you like to see DeMarco and/or Tibbetts make to help their teams play more consistently positive basketball?
