Smesko looks on from the right sideline, watching his roster of training camp players — filled with WNBA champions, future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, WNBA All Stars, rookies and returning players — compete against each other in some intense 5-on-5 full-court action before practice ends. The Bath Township, Ohio, native, is still getting used to Atlanta after spending 23 seasons building and leading Atlantic Sun powerhouse Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball program to a perpetual NCAA tournament team due to his astute ability to develop players, breakdown and emphasize film study while incorporating lots of analytics for sheer efficiency.
“Things are definitely different [under Smesko],” third-year guard and forward Haley Jones told The Next. “His [Smesko] attention to detail is really high. When watching film, we [players] all have journals. I feel like I’m back in class [at Stanford] taking notes for a pop quiz. Teams may try to scout us and think we have a bajillion plays but we’re really just reading the game a lot better, being more efficient and more decisive.”
In the Dream’s 80-70 preseason victory on Wednesday against the Washington Mystics, Smesko became the eighth different coach in the franchise’s 17-year history to begin the journey of restoring prominence to the team. In October, the Dream hired Smesko after parting ways with former head coach Tanisha Wright following three seasons.
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From the moment he arrived, Smesko didn’t waste any time orchestrating a roster to fulfill his philosophy on the court, one that includes a fast-paced offense with floor spacing, three-point shooting along with constant movement and the willingness of his players to share the basketball to generate elite efficiency. Atlanta acquired 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner from the Phoenix Mercury, veteran guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough from the Mystics and three-time All-Star Brionna Jones from the Connecticut Sun to pair up with a Dream core that includes two-time All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, two-time WNBA champion Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey.
The Dream also selected former South Carolina standout guard Te-Hina Paopao and former Ohio State guard/forward Taylor Thierry in the 2025 WNBA Draft in April. As Atlanta gears up for the season, Howard believes this year’s team has the best mixture of diversity among players to be successful on the court.
“I think our best asset is that we have great players who know how to play with other great players,” Howard told The Next.
Atlanta Dream: Dream hire two assistant coaches, promote Brooklyn Cartwright to assistant GM
The impact of Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones
Although there are several days of training camp remaining, it didn’t take long to see Smesko’s vision of playing fast, stretching the floor and taking efficient shots play out in Atlanta’s victory against Washington. Griner, who converted 9-of-18 threes with the Mercury last season, splashed two of Atlanta’s 12-made 3-pointers in the contest. The 6-foot-9 center credited her training and commitment to improving her long-range shooting while playing for Team Phantom in the inaugural Unrivaled season, notching 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
With Griner playing in Smesko’s system, her ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc with consistency unlocks a new layer to her already decorated WNBA career as well as put pressure on opposing teams to defend the Dream from all areas of the court.
“They [opposing teams] dare me to shoot it anyway,” Griner told The Next. “So, I can knock it down. Coach [Smesko] gave me the green light and I could do it.
Beyond Griner’s long range scoring, she converted 7-of-11 shots from the floor to finish with a team-high 16 points while tallying 14 of them in the first half, to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists and one block in a little more than 19 minutes of action. The 34-year-old enters Year 12 in the W. However, she does not feel old but rather rejuvenated.
“I’m happy,” Griner told The Next. “I feel younger … like I got a rebirth. … I feel better on the court. I’m at a weight now that is lighter, definitely slimmed down, coming back from Russia and all of that. But, it took me a while to lose that weight. I don’t know if it is the youth on the team or the excitement in the city. But,I definitely don’t feel like it is year 12.”
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Hillmon agrees: “Anyone who knows BG knows how playful and energetic she is,” she told The Next. “She comes in every single day with a smile on her face, ready to go. When it comes to greatness, it is a reason why you get there. She exemplifies that. Her energy and her effort are consistent.”
Jones, Griner’s interior running mate, did a little bit of everything, finishing with six points on 3-of-5 shots from the floor, five rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes as she continues to acclimate herself in Smesko’s system after competing for USK Prague in the Czech Republic during the offseason, winning a EuroLeague Women title and the Final Six MVP.
While the regular season has not started, seeing Griner and Jones co-exist in the paint offensively and feed off each other in the rebounding department is a good sign for an Atlanta team seeking to capitalize on second chance points or push the pace from those rebounds as well as create quality floor space with their guards in Howard, Gray and Canada.
“This is going to be a good partnership [Jones and Griner] right here,” Griner said on a Zoom call on Friday. “We can interchange, pop in or going down low. The other team, you’ve got to pick your poison.”
Atlanta finished 11th in offensive rating (99.0) and three-point field goal percentage (30.8%), ninth in three-point attempt rate as well as last or near the bottom tier of the league in effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage on two pointers up to field goal percentage on shots taken 10 to 16 feet away from the rim during the 2024 campaign. With Griner and Jones, who both finished in the top three in the W for field goal percentage last season, should help the Dream create a new narrative this season.
The Dream’s trio of Howard, Gray and Canada
Alongside Griner and Jones, Atlanta returns Howard, Gray and Canada. Last season, Howard and Canada were part of a trio — Aerial Powers — of players for the Dream that were plagued by injuries in the first half of the season, combining to miss 37 games. The duo’s absence required Gray to take on more of a lead role offensively. Gray finished second on the team in scoring (15.6 ppg) behind Howard (17.3 ppg) while Canada averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.
If Atlanta controls the glass in games with Griner and Jones, it could generate fruitful opportunities for the trio of guards involved, particularly Howard and Gray from beyond the arc.
“Rhyne [Howard] is the player with the most potential to take us to the next level but it’s not just her,” Dream general manager Dan Padover said in January. “Her running mate [Allisha] Gray and getting a full season out of Jordin [Canada] and our complimentary pieces, we’ll get good looks to optimize our player skill sets.
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“Jordin is someone who can get into the defense. Rhyne and Allisha spread the floor from the perimeter and open up gaps for Jordin or Naz [Hillmon] getting to the basket. At the end of the day, you need a full team of five.”
With the season starting in less than a week, the Dream find themselves in a similar situation with Canada, who suffered a right knee injury during the first 20 seconds of Wednesday’s contest. The 5-foot-6 guard missed the first 14 games of the 2024 campaign due to a hand injury before going on to play 20 contests. While the 29-year-old will be re-evaluated in two weeks about the status of her knee, Smesko said he was “hopeful” that the team would have Canada back sooner rather than later.
“We are very hopeful that we will get her [Canada] back,” Smesko said on a Zoom call on Friday. “Jordan was doing great … everybody knows about her speed and the pressure she can put on the defense.”
However, if Canada’s injury keeps her away from the court longer than expected, Smesko will likely rely on Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Haley Jones, Paopao or recently added guard Shyanne Sellers — who was cut by the Golden State Valkyries on May 3 — should she or the Gamecocks’ guard earn spots on the team’s opening day roster.
“… Anytime you lose a great player [like Canada], it’s going to put other people in position where they got to step up and contribute,” Smesko said on Friday’s call via Zoom. “We’ve had a number of people in practice that got some reps at point guard, and they’ve been getting better every day and making better reads every day. …I think we’re going to find a way to make it.”
Prior to Canada’s injury, the veteran guard said she felt “free” within Smesko’s game plan, something she looks forward to embracing this season.
“Not always feeling like I need to call a play or need to set something up,” Canada told The Next. “Being able to read what the defense gives me and being able to feed off my teammates.”
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What else to know about the 2025 Dream
Should Atlanta be without its floor general in Canada for extended time, Walker-Kimbrough is ready to step up in her absence and Smesko spoke highly of the veteran guard after the Dream’s victory on Wednesday.
Like Griner and Jones, Walker-Kimbrough begins a new chapter after spending most of her career with the Mystics. She’s not afraid of new environments. “Change is good for growth,” Walker-Kimbrough told The Next. “The atmosphere [in Atlanta] has been great. We have really good character people and a common goal.”
Last season, she led the league in minutes, points and steals off the bench while also ranking within the top seven in assists, blocks and 3-pointers off the bench. Walker-Kimbrough, who enters Year 9 and turns 30 two days after the Dream’s 2025 regular season opener against her former team, generated six points, three assists, four steals and one rebound in Wednesday’s preseason affair against Washington.
“I like to be versatile and do whatever the team needs,” Walker-Kimbrough told The Next. “Being able to use my IQ, knock down shots, play fast and play free.”
And for Smesko,Walker-Kimbrough’s ability to serve as a Swiss army knife is an asset that he is excited about this season.
“She’s somebody who can knock down shots, put [the ball] it on the floor, finish at the rim … get steals and deflections,” Smesko said postgame on Wednesday. “I’m looking for her to be consistent in making those defensive plays and helping contribute on the boards.”
Roster construction
Atlanta will carry 11 players on its roster when it opens the season on May 16 against Washington. The Dream feature eight players — Canada, Gray, Walker-Kimbrough, Howard, Jones, Coffey, Griner and Hillmon — on guaranteed contracts that include Howard and Hillmon starting the final year of their rookie-scale contracts.
Currently, Atlanta’s cap space is $145,365, according to HerHoopStats. On Monday, the Dream waived former rookie forward DeYona Gaston (Auburn). On Friday, the franchise cut FGCU rookie guard Emani Jefferson (FGCU) and forward Maria Gakdeng (North Carolina). With 14 players remaining on the roster, at least three more will be cut before the first game of the season. Remaining players seeking to land a spot on the team include Maya Caldwell, Ashley Joens, H. Jones, Paopao, Sellers and Thierry.
Dream schedule
After the season opener against Washington, Atlanta will go on the road to face the Fever on May 20 before playing its season opener against Indiana on May 22 at State Farm Arena. In May, the Dream will play seven games with three at home that includes the first of its three back-to-back weeks with contests against the Dallas Wings on May 24 and the Sun on May 25.
In June, Atlanta will play 10 games with six at home, followed by 10 games in July with three at home including two back-to-back weeks with matchups against the Las Vegas Aces and the Mercury on July 22 and July 23, along with contests against the Valkyries and the Wings on July 29 and July 30 respectively.
The Dream will play 12 games in the month of August with six at home before ending the season in September with five games and three at home.
“I think we have the makeup of a really good team,” Smesko said during the first week of training camp. “I’m expecting that we’ll have a good team pretty early in the season.”
Want more team-by-team previews for the 2025 WNBA season? Read them all here!
