Friday night’s WNBA lineup again illustrates the absurdities of the early-season schedule.
The Atlanta Dream will, finally, play their fourth game of the season. Off since their comeback against the Las Vegas Aces fell short on Sunday afternoon, the Dream host the Dallas Wings, suiting up for their sixth game of the season (7:30 p.m. ET, ION). Dallas is one of the three teams Atlanta has happened to play, with the Dream winning in Dallas one week ago.
The Golden State Valkyries, like Atlanta, had enjoyed a light schedule to start the season. Off for a week, they were rested and ready to go against the New York Liberty on Thursday night, holding New York to a season-low scoring output as they ran away with the 87-70.
But now, the Valkyries will take the court again less than 24 hours after their game tipped off in Brooklyn, with Golden State visiting the Indiana Fever (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
Friday’s final game features the league’s most familiar foes, with the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm playing each other for the third this season (10 p.m. ET, ION).
So far, the league’s two bottom-dwellers have split their season series, with the Storm first winning in Connecticut before the Sun got their first win of the season in Seattle on Wednesday, thanks to Kennedy Burke’s conversion of late three-point play.
I think the Dream-Wings rematch presents the most interesting comparison between the benefits and detriments of a light versus heavy early-season schedule.
With Brionna Jones sidelined with a knee injury and Rhyne Howard forced to miss time with a concussion, the Dream’s lack of games could be a blessing, with the team saving their more intense stretches of games until they’re (hopefully) at full strength.
Alternatively, with the integration of Angel Reese a top priority for the team, fewer games means fewer reps.
Thus far, Angel has yet find her stride with Atlanta. Of course, she’s been all over the boards, but, throughout most of the Dream’s three games, Reese seems to be trying too hard to make the right play, leading to overthinking that is contributing to her inefficient finishing. Eventually, playing with her new teammates in a new system will become second nature to Angel, but for now, the Dream’s sparse schedule is slowing that process.
The Dream’s shooters also are off the a slow start. A team that relies on high-volume 3-point shooting to drive their offense, Atlanta is shooting a league-worst 24.7 percent from 3. Allisha Gray, despite leading the league in scoring with 25 points per game, is hitting less than 30 percent of her triples. Those numbers will rise, but the Dream’s ability to bust out of their shooting slump has been delayed.
Dallas, in contrast, has had the opportunity to work out some of their early-season kinks. After a late-game collapse against the Minnesota Lynx last Thursday, Wings head coach Jose Fernandez didn’t hold back in his postgame press conference. Edwin Garcia wrote about the extended kerfuffle caused by Fernandez’s brutal honesty about his players and what he perceived to be their priorities.
The Wings, however, have won two-straight games, with the players appearing to take advantage of the opportunities to respond to their coach’s criticisms with improved play.
First, Dallas surprisingly routed the Washington Mystics, with their previously-maligned defense holding Washington to a season-low 69 points as five players reached double figures in scoring. The Wings then showed their mettle on the road, lighting up what had been a stout Chicago Sky defense for 99 points, powered by a Jessica Shepard triple-double.
After the win in Chicago, Fernandez gave credit to his group and the culture they are building, saying:
I have a very good coaching staff and, like I said, you set the culture and you set the standards and it becomes player-led. I have a locker room of pretty good players. It starts there and it starts with them.
Dallas now puts their positive momentum to the test against an Atlanta side eager for a chance to build their own chemistry and culture. Howard, not listed on the injury report, is expected back in the lineup.
What do you think will happen in Atlanta on Friday night?
Have the Wings turned a corner? Can they make it three in a row? Or, will the well-rested Dream again have the edge? If the 3s finally fall for the Dream, could they turn this into a real comfortable win? Or, if the gods of 3-point variance continue to smite Atlanta, will Angel do her thing on the glass, creating extra possessions off the Dream’s misfires from deep?
And, what are you looking for in Friday night’s other two games?
Can the Valkyries complete their tough back-to-back? Last season, Golden State swept Indiana, winning all three games as Caitlin Clark played in two of the three contests. Does reigning Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase have the Fever solved? Whether Clark, questionable with a back injury, plays or not, will the Golden State defense find a way to again silence Indy?
Which team should be favored in the Sun-Storm rubber match? Since the two games have been decided by a combined 10 points, expect it to be another close one.
Both of these teams, however, could be excused for looking ahead. Awa Fam, the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft, has arrived in Seattle. It’s currently unclear if she’ll debut on Friday.
Leïla Lacan is expected to join the Sun when they return to Connecticut. Those players will add some needed sizzle to two squads experiencing early-season ups and (mostly) downs.
