On Sunday, the Atlanta Dream (6-6) avoided an ignominious three-game losing streak, responding to losses to the Washington Mystics (2-12) and Indiana Fever (5-10) with a victory over the Los Angeles Sparks (4-10). Atlanta will have the opportunity to avenge their loss to Indiana on Friday, hosting the Fever at State Farm Arena (7:30 p.m. ET, ION). First, they hit the road on Wednesday to meet the Minnesota Lynx (11-3) for the second time this season (8 p.m. ET, LeaguePass). The first matchup was a resounding Lynx win in Atlanta.
Before this next set of games, let’s take a look at the Dream’s lineup combinations and see what is, and is not, working:
Is Atlanta’s new starting lineup the solution?
Ahead of the Indiana game, head coach Tanisha Wright made a change to the starting lineup, inserting Nia Coffey for Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. On Sunday against LA, Coffey remained in the starting group.
Across 11 games and 88 total minutes, Atlanta’s original staring lineup of Haley Jones, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Tina Charles and Parker-Tyus has a plus-minus of minus-12, with issues on both ends of the floor. The unit registered an offensive rating of 98.9, slightly better than the team’s overall offensive rating but not nearly strong enough for a starting five. The bigger problem was on the defensive end, with their 106.1 defensive rating much worse than the team’s overall defensive rating of 99.8.
That data suggests it was time for Wright to make a change. Although it’s only been two games, Parker-Tyus has thrived coming off the bench. As analysts Angel Gray and Autumn Johnson discussed during the broadcast of the Sparks game, Parker-Tyus expressed how she is more comfortable operating at the 5, as she has more space compared to playing the 4 alongside Charles. Her improved shooting percentages reflect as much. She’s also exhibited more activity in other areas of the game, collecting more boards, assists and steals as a reserve.
However, while Parker-Tyus is now providing more dynamic post play from off the bench, the new starting group also does not seem like the answer. The fivesome of Jones, Gray, Howard, Charles and Coffey has been outscored by 13 points in 39 minutes together across nine games. Their defense has been quite good, evidenced by a defensive rating of 87.7. The offense, in contrast, has been a disaster, with an anemic offensive rating of 73.4. That’s not terribly surprising, as Jones is a hesitant shooter and Coffey has become painfully reluctant on the offensive end. Opponents, therefore, can load up on Gray, Howard and Charles, further gumming up Atlanta’s often sticky and stilted offensive process.
What lineups are working for Atlanta?
The Dream’s lack of a solid starting five again points to the importance of Jordin Canada, the team’s headlining offseason addition and starting point guard who remains sidelined with a hand injury.
Thus far, Atlanta’s best lineup does not feature a traditional primary ball handler. The quintet of Gray, Howard, Charles, Naz Hillmon and Aerial Powers is a plus-14 in 13 total minutes of shared court time. While the sample size is small, it’s a lineup that makes sense, as the team’s three stars are surrounded by two players who know their roles. Powers pulsates with often frenetic energy, with her willingness to fearlessly fire away a needed trait for a team that can suffer through scoring droughts. And although she is prone to some poor defensive decisions, those often are born out of an eagerness to make something happen. Hillmon’s more measured efforts balance out Powers’ livewire stylings. She’s a consummate connective player, supporting her starrier teammates by doing the little things that contribute to winning.
Another promising lineup sees Crystal Dangerfield replace Powers alongside Gray, Howard, Charles and Hillmon. That grouping has outscored opponents by nine points in 16 minutes. It seems Wright has resisted totally trusting Dangerfield. After playing nearly 28 minutes per game for the Dallas Wings last season, she’s averaging just half that with the Dream, playing 14 minutes and averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 assists per game. While she’s undersized and a below-average shooter for her position, Dangerfield is a competent point guard who knows how to play around stars, as she showed with the Wings last season. Allowing her the opportunity to develop chemistry with her new teammates could help Atlanta avoid its spells of offensive stagnancy.
It will also be exciting to see Canada (eventually) play with the Gray-Howard-Charles-Hillmon quartet. Considering Coffey’s early season struggles, inserting Hillmon into the starting lineup once, if not before, Canada debuts could help the Dream begin to become the best version of themselves.