The Atlanta Dream dropped another game, in typical head-scratching fashion, and are now 6-8 on the season, creating a turning point in the Tanisha Wright era.
Life without Rhyne Howard, the Dream’s franchise player, is a strange place to be. Howard can only watch from the sidelines in her Atlanta Hawks-themed jersey and a walking boot, a solemn reminder that she cannot help her team.
“Nobody is gonna feel sorry for us.” Naz Hillmon said. “They’re not gonna take off a possession and say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Rhyne Howard’s not here.’”
The atmosphere was thick with Caitlin Clark and Fever fans, a challenging environment for the Dream. Despite Haley Jones’ early attempts with blocks and steals early in Friday’s game, the deficit ballooned to over 20 points before the Dream could mount any significant resistance. Tina Charles eventually scored a game-high 24 points, but the Fever also had four starters in double-figures.
If this is the strategy for surviving until Rhyne (or Jordin Canada) comes back, the Dream are in trouble, I’m afraid. The stagnant offense is a ticking time bomb that can’t be ignored. What’s more concerning is the lack of solutions from the Dream at the moment. This responsibility falls on the shoulders of Tanisha Wright. Wright is painfully aware of just how badly Atlanta is falling short.
“I don’t have the answers, but I know it’s my job to get this team to figure out how to play together…,” Wright explained. “I’m just gonna keep working until they get to that point.”
The Dream settled into what they’ve been doing under Wright this season – settling for outside shots and getting spread thin on defense. The Fever created 42 points in the paint by the 4th quarter, which indicates the team’s woes. (We still need to address the regular first-quarter blowouts. *deep sigh*)
As I’ve expressed before, the Dream are severely under-achieving and that feels so gross to write out loud. I’ve been trying my hardest to not put this on Tanisha’s shoulders, but giving up 35 points in a quarter – the most all season and a constant recurring theme – feels like fodder for having it be Wright’s responsibility.
“It just doesn’t match who I am as an individual,” Wright lamented post-game. “You’re getting your a** kicked, when are you gonna punch back? When you gone fight? When you gonna do something different than what you keep doing? You’re gonna keep getting your a** kicked the same way.”
This team should not be sitting at 6-8, and looking lifeless against the league’s mid-tier teams. It’s just can’t happen. And if it continues to happen, I’m not sure how long the leash may be.
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