Jordin Canada is back, and the vibes are immaculate. Her presence was a lighthouse to the choppy waters of Atlanta’s ocean.
When the Atlanta Dream traded for Jordin in February, they knew she was their long-awaited starting point guard. After playing musical chairs with various guards during the 2023 season, general manager Dan Padover landed one of the top players during WNBA free agency.
Regrettably, an early hand injury during training camp put Jordin Canada on the sidelines, leaving a void. Second-year guard Haley Jones has been stepping up in Canada’s absence, but the Atlanta was missing Jordin’s basketball IQ and facilitation skills. Her return was eagerly awaited by a team currently ranking 12th in points and assists per game.
“Obviously, we went out and got Jordan,” head coach Tanisha Wright said pregame. “So, [I’m] excited for her to have the opportunity to get back on the court and be with our team. Just excited for her to get her feet wet a little bit and have the opportunity to just be back to playing basketball.”
Jordin’s teammate, Allisha Gray, couldn’t hide her excitement about her return. In an interview with Hall About Sports before Sunday’s matchup against the Liberty, Gray’s enthusiasm was palpable, reflecting the team’s collective eagerness for Canada’s comeback.
“About time. About time. I’m so excited. ABOUT TIME. Dang!”
Even Canada seemed like she had been waiting a lifetime to return to the court. As she danced away in the Atlanta Dream‘s pre-game hype circle, the thoughts she shared with us rang loud ahead of Sunday’s game.
“I’m excited to play today…long time coming…Yeah, no, really. It’s about time.”
Canada played just five minutes in the first half but picked up three personal fouls rather quickly – a sign that there is some rust to knock off after several months away from game action. Despite that, she got a warm reception from the crowd when she hit a nice dime to Tina Charles, a hopeful sign of things to come.
It’s unclear how quickly Jordin can get up to speed. She did play 14 minutes Sunday but the Dream need her to probably get there a bit sooner. (She did at least score five points with four rebounds and two assists to boot.)
Atlanta is are now 6-9 on the season and have lost the last three games, with a huge stretch on the road that won’t have them return home until July 2 when Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky come to town.
They’re going to need everything Canada has with Rhyne Howard out. It’s very likley we won’t see what this Dream team can be until after the Olympic break.
Hall About Sports 
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[…] in the last ten games is far from ideal. However, the return of key players like Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada, coupled with a timely month-long Olympic break, could be the turning point for the […]
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