The Atlanta Dream enjoyed a successful regular season, and it's because of the strong play of many of the players. One of those players was Naz Hillmon, who had the best season of her career, and the WNBA rewarded her, as she was honored with the Sixth Player of the Year award. Hillmon is the first player in franchise history to win the award.
Hillmon saw a lot of growth this season, and it showed in her numbers. Last season, she averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds, and this season, she increased those averages to 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. One of the biggest things that she improved on was her 3-point shooting, as she made 53 of them this season, compared to just one in her first three seasons.
She was a game changer off the bench for the Dream, and among the players who came off the bench in at least 20 games, Hillmon ranked first in plus-minus, second in rebounds, and fifth in points, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from the 3-point line.
Earlier in the season, head coach Karl Smesko endorsed Hillmon for Sixth Player of the Year.
“She’s been fantastic this year, and I think she’s someone that should be strongly considered for Sixth Player of the Year…she’s very smart, reliable, this year she’s really Most Improved Player in the league this year with the development of her shot….she’s just really advanced her game this year and has really been huge for us,” Smesko said.
Toward the end of the season, Hillmon was inserted into the starting lineup and helped elevate the Dream on both sides of the floor. Not only was she key on the floor, but she was one of the vocal leaders on the team this season as well.
With the Dream looking to build on the success that they had this season, there's no doubt that Hillmon will be important for their future.
