There's no question that Atlanta Dream wing Rhyne Howard is one of the top rising stars in the WNBA. Howard won the league's Rookie of the Year Award last season and was named to the WNBA All-Star team. Rhyne Howard is having a better season this year than she did last year which could logically mean that she'd be a shoe-in for this year's WNBA All-Star team. That was not the case though once the league's 12 coaches selected the reserves. Howard took out her disappointment on the court with a career-high 43 points against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 2. She ended up being named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement after Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne was unable to play due to injury. At WNBA All-Star weekend, Rhyne Howard doubled down on her previous comments about respecting her name.

“Just because I am in it now, does not mean that they're safe,” Howard said during a media availability session. “Obviously there's still some speculation as to whether I was an All-Star or not. I just let it fuel me in a positive way and prove what I know I can do.”

This season, Howard has been averaging 18.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 43 percent shooting from the field, 39.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Behind Howard's stellar play, the Dream are one of the hottest teams in the league coming out of the All-Star break. They've won six games in a row and have climbed the standings with a record of 11-8.