NFL
By: Nick Andre
It hasn’t been the best start for the Atlanta Dream to begin the season. This is a team that had expectations to grow as a young talented team. After making the playoffs last season, the Dream have not looked like a respected team in the WNBA.
The frustration has shown both on and off the court. The players show it with their body language and it’s spilled over to the postgame presser. After the Dream took an 87-68 loss to the Washington Mystics, it’s safe to say nobody in the Dream locker room is happy right now.
Believe me, this is a team that everyone had high expectations for. As I mentioned earlier, the Dream made the postseason for the first time in five seasons. It was a great step in the right direction after suffering through the seasons after Angel McCoughtry’s tenure. Over the offseason, Atlanta acquired great compliments like Tina Charles, Aerial Powers, and others who were projected to help the team elevate.
The Dream are currently 5-5 on the season and the schedule continues to get tougher. Aerial Powers said it best following the Dreams lost against the New York Liberty this past Thursday night. “I think we need to find our identity.” Powers is a WNBA veteran who has been on several great teams including winning a championship with the Mystics in 2019. With that being said, she knows when a team has an identity. Currently, the Atlanta Dream do not have one.
The goal is to be led by their three All-Stars. Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus have all had great moments to begin the seasons. Their ability to take strides on both ends is a reason why they’re respected stars in the WNBA. Unfortunately, their energy hasn’t been able to lead the team to success.
The Dream are supposed to have everything. They have a great overall team and their personnel fits with the culture that they’re building. The Dream are currently 11th in offense this season as well as sixth in defensive rating. They’ve currently lost three of their last four games and have even outscored by a margin of 18.3 points. The bright side of their loss was head coach Tanisha Wright taking accountability for not preparing her team for the matchup. “I don’t think I did a good job of preparing them for what they were going to see tonight.” She stated in the postgame presser.
While the Dream are still in search of an identity, there have been some good moments for the team. For instance, they found a way to dethrone the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on their home floor. The key word behind their win was togetherness. While the Aces held a double-digit lead in the first half, the Dream crawled their way back into the contest and displayed a dominant second half. The Dream also found a way to come together and grab a huge win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday.
Despite the ups and downs, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around. The goal for the Dream is to head into the Olympic break with some momentum. If they’re going to do so, they’ll have to continue to be led by their star players. Howard has been in a shooting slump as she’s shot 36 percent for the last six games. As for Gray, she’s shot only 31 percent over her past two games. Those two finding their rhythm could play a huge role in Atlanta turning things around.
Another key is rotations. Coach Wright must put her best lineups on the floor in certain situations of the game. The Dream run deep in the second unit from Powers, Nis Coffey, Naz Hillmon, and others. There’s also the versatile twin towers in Tina Charles and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. The talent is on the roster for the Atlanta Dream. Now it’s time to observe which lineups fit together and which do not.
The Dream being at 5-5 is not the start they expected. However, there’s still time to create an identity and turn their season around. It could begin Thursday night as they face the Indiana Fever. As the Dream face off against a young and inexperienced team, it’s a golden opportunity for them to get back into the win column.
