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The Atlanta Dream have been playing well this season, and it's been through the help of some of their key players. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray were named to the All-Star team due to their strong seasons, but there is also someone else on the team who people think was deserving of a spot. Brionna Jones has played at a high level this season, and some are wondering how she didn't make the team.
Despite the snub, her teammates and coaches know what she brings to the floor, and they recently spoke about her not being selected.
“It's disappointing. I think she very much deserved it,” Nia Coffey said. “I think there's a lot into the voting. I think she should have been an All-Star.
“She's literally done everything on both sides of the floor consistently. One thing our coaches always talk about is doing things possession by possession. I think she does a really good job of that. She's been really huge for us this year. I feel like we have such a good rapport with our team.”
In her first season with the Dream, Jones is averaging 14.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. She's been one of the more efficient players in the league this season, and she's expanded her game behind the arc.
Brionna Jones snubbed from the All-Star team
Head coach Karl Smesko has only been coaching for the Dream for only a few months, and he's getting a taste of how the All-Star system works.
“It's tough because this is my first year as a head coach following the W for a long time,” Smesko said. “There are so many good players. Every time there's an All-Star team named, there are players who are deserving but didn't get the invitation for whatever reason. For me, I wasn't even concerned about Bri; I thought she was not somebody who was on the bubble and could go either way. I thought she was clearly going to be one of the All-Stars; she's had that kind of season.”
Jones is definitely the type of person who lets her play do all the talking, and Smesko believes that's probably what could have cost her a spot on the team.
“Bri is kind of a quiet person; she just goes about her business,” Smesko said. “I don't know how you'd overlook all star production and as well as she's played, but I think the kind of her manner about it and just kind of just even keel and doing it a certain way, sometimes it doesn't bring a lot of attention onto herself, and in this case, it may have hurt her.”
