After the Atlanta Dream scored a season-low 55 factors of their loss to the Dallas Wings on June 24, head coach Karl Smesko was requested concerning the play of Brittney Griner, the workforce’s highest-profile offseason who scored two factors on simply three shot makes an attempt in lower than 20 minutes of motion. Smesko rapidly insisted, “That’s gonna be on me. We gotta discover her a approach to get her some extra deep touches.”
Within the Dream’s subsequent two video games, an time beyond regulation loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday and a win over the New York Liberty on Sunday, it’s been evident that Smesko meant what he stated.
Griner performed 28 minutes in each video games, her most in over a month. She had 10 and 12 shot makes an attempt, respectively, leading to 16 and 14 factors. These numbers exceeded her alternatives and manufacturing because the Dream’s June 6 loss to the Connecticut Solar. It’s additionally the primary time she’s scored in double figures in back-to-back video games because the first two video games of the season.
This perked up play from Griner, one of many workforce’s highest-paid gamers who’s averaging profession lows throughout the board, must be a optimistic for Atlanta, proper?
Eh, it’s sophisticated.
As a result of, despite the fact that Griner has not met expectations and seen her function minimized, the Dream, particularly the Dream offense, has exceeded expectations, remodeled from the W’s worst offensive items in 2024 to, earlier than the low-scoring loss in Dallas, the league’s finest in 2025. Even accounting for that outlier terrible effort towards the Wings, the Dream nonetheless rank within the high three in factors per recreation and offensive score.
Does diverting extra utilization to Griner danger disrupting an Atlanta offense that has discovered an identification? Or, does activating BG introduce a wanted off-speed pitch that may in the end improve the Dream’s offensive assault?
From tons of 3s to extra BG
Embracing a high-volume, high-variance 3-point-centric type had propelled Atlanta’s offensive efficiency. Earlier than the workforce’s two current dwelling video games towards Minnesota and New York, Atlanta led the league in 3-point makes an attempt per recreation, hoisting almost 31 per contest. A league-high 37.1 p.c of the Dream’s factors had been coming from 3-pointers, whereas 38.3 p.c of the factors had been produced within the paint, the second-lowest share within the league.
The previous two video games, when Smesko prioritized Griner, the Dream’s profile nearly fully flipped. Solely 13.2 p.c of the Dream’s factors got here from behind the arc, whereas 62.6 p.c had been scored within the paint.
To a sure extent, a poor stretch of 3-point capturing from different members of the Dream explains this stark shift. In opposition to the Lynx and Liberty, the Dream shot 18.2 p.c and 21.1 p.c, respectively, from deep, making simply 4 3-pointers in each video games. Nonetheless, the Dream took 22 and 19 3s, their lowest variety of makes an attempt in video games this season. The second-half absence of Rhyne Howard towards the Liberty provides additional context for workforce’s lowered variety of 3-point makes an attempt. Atlanta’s most prolific 3-point shooter, Howard was sidelined with an higher physique damage after an early-third quarter conflict with Natasha Cloud. (After the sport, Smesko had no replace on Howard’s standing shifting ahead.)
But, even when accounting for these components, the Dream’s departure from it’s established, efficient offensive identification is placing. That Atlanta dropped 92 factors on Minnesota, the league’s finest protection, and 90 factors on New York, ranked third in protection, suggests its not essentially the unsuitable choice. However once more, it’s form of sophisticated.
The crux of the BG conundrum
The matchups towards the Lynx and Liberty introduced favorable alternatives to attempt one thing totally different, as they provided probably advantageous circumstances for Griner to be a extra featured a part of the Dream offense. Minnesota employs an undersized frontcourt, whereas New York was with out Jonquel Jones.
In each video games, Griner acquired extra of the deep touches Smesko described. And when receiving the ball, BG principally eradicated the hesitancy that has characterised her offensive integration in Atlanta, as an alternative rapidly going into her scoring transfer earlier than ending sturdy by means of, somewhat than round, contact. Griner transformed 60 p.c of her makes an attempt towards Minnesota and 58.3 p.c towards New York, her most effective scoring video games because the aforementioned early June recreation towards Connecticut.
Do not forget concerning the house the Atlanta Dream can create for Brittney Griner. Zipper motion right into a submit up however the secret is the left aspect. Jones lifted on the Elbow, Howard lifted on the wing. No low assist + deep submit place. pic.twitter.com/cys5XseXFR
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 27, 2025
There may be, nonetheless, one other sophisticated catch. Within the four-point time beyond regulation loss to Minnesota, Atlanta was outscored by 9 factors in Griner’s minutes, the second-worst mark on the workforce. Whereas the tandem of Griner and Brionna Joneshad a dimension and power benefit over the Lynx’s pairing of Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith, the Minnesota duo possesses a versatility that punished the defensive limitations of Griner and Jones, with Collier, particularly, discovering herself open for a couple of too many computerized jumpers.
Had the Liberty’s Jones been out there, an analogous situation seemingly would have emerged. New York’s frontcourt of Jones and Breanna Stewart is probably the most tough to protect within the league. However with the Liberty compelled to depend on Isabelle Harrison, they lacked the form of elite frontcourt capturing that might have rendered the Dream’s three large lineups of Griner, Jones and Naz Hillmon untenable.
General, there’s not sufficient of a pattern to make definitive declarations about Atlanta’s potential shift from Smesko-ball, the place 3s fly early and infrequently, to BG-ball, the place getting the 6-foot-9 heart the ball on block turns into a featured factor of the offense. Ideally, a melding of the 2 approaches can occur, with the workforce toggling and tweaking its offensive identification inside video games to use matchup benefits.
In fact, that’s simpler stated than executed. However, because the previous two video games have proven, Smesko means what he says.
