Subscribe
Follow Us
The Atlanta Dream have been playing some good basketball this season, and they've put themselves in conversations with some of the top teams in the league. In their latest win, they defeated the New York Liberty and dominated them throughout the entire game. Unfortunately, during the game, Rhyne Howard went down with an injury in the third quarter after getting tangled up with Natasha Cloud, and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Howard did return to the bench, but she was seen wearing a sling on her left arm. Earlier today, the Dream gave an update on Howard's injury and how long she could be out.
“Following evaluations by Emory Sports Medicine professionals, Rhyne Howard has been diagnosed with an upper body injury. She is considered day-to-day and is expected to make a full recovery,” the Dream said in the statement.
That sounds like good news for the Dream, and Howard may have avoided a serious injury. Howard has been key for the Dream's success this season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. It's not certain how long she'll be sidelined, but they have the depth to make up for some of what she brings to the court.
They do have a few tough matchups coming up, and next man up will be the mentality for this team.
Dream will have to stay afloat in Rhyne Howard's absence
Depth has been key for the Dream this season, and it will have to come into play with Howard being sidelined. Players such as Nia Coffey, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, and Maya Caldwell have been solid in their roles coming off the bench as wing players, and their minutes will increase over the next few games.
The starting five will have to step up as well, but that should be no problem with how they've been playing, specifically Allisha Gray, who was recently named an All-Star starter. Gray has arguably been the best player on the team this season, and she's been making plays on both sides of the ball to help the Dream.
It hasn't been one player doing it all for the Dream this season, and Brionna Jones is someone contributing at a high level. Of course, the team is hoping that Howard can return sooner rather than later, but the way they've been playing, they should be able to keep things rolling as she recovers from her injury.
