The Atlanta Dream have a team that's bound for success, but injuries and inconsistent play plagued them during the first half of the season. Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada were the two players that missed the most time, but they're back and healthy to start the second half. Allisha Gray knows what this team is capable of, and before the Dream's game against the Seattle Storm, she shared her excitement about getting Howard and Canada back in the lineup.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment the whole season,” Gray said to ClutchPoints. “It's crazy because one would come and then one would go out, so it's nice to have everybody back. I’m very happy for people to see what type of team we are when everybody’s healthy.”
With the Dream back healthy, they should be able to make a run down the stretch and get to the level that they wanted to be at to start the season.
Can the Dream make a run to finish the season?
The Dream had unfortunate injuries during the first half of the season, with one of them being their star player, Rhyne Howard. She suffered an ankle injury that left her out indefinitely, but she returned in the last game before the All-Star and Olympic break, and she also participated in the Paris Olympics for the women's Team USA 3×3 basketball team.
Jordin Canada missed the first 14 games of the season, and once she returned she got injured again. Both Howard and Canada can score in bunches, and having them back is good for the Dream.
Head coach Tanisha Wright knows that the team's weakness from the first half of the season was finishing games, and she's hoping coming back from the break, things will improve.
“I think we have to have a better focus down the stretch where we need to be able to execute, both offensively and defensively so that we can finish games off,” Wright said before the game against the Storm. “I think that's the biggest thing, but I think from watching practices and just the feedback that I've gotten from both players and coaches that they had a great break, they focused on small things, getting better at those things, and really spending time with each other.”
If the Dream can stay healthy and finish the season strong, they'll have a good shot at the postseason for the second straight year. They'll also need some help from the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, two teams that are being led by their rookies, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
At this point, the Dream can only control what they can control, but they have the talent on the team to make it happen.
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