The WNBA coaching carousel finally came to a stop before the holiday season, as the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics announced new hires on Dec. 23. Now that every team has a head coach, if not yet a full coaching staff, it’s time to evaluate their directions heading into the 2025 season. For now, we’ll exclude the five teams (the Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm) that didn’t make head-coaching changes, but rest assured, there will be more to come later in the offseason.
Ceiling: Win a first-round playoff series
The Dream regressed last season, specifically on offense, after a 19-win campaign in 2023. A team with two perimeter stars in Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray should generate better offense (it was last in the league in offensive rating in 2024), and the addition of Smesko, one of the more creative minds in college basketball, seems like the right move to help Atlanta get over the hump. That doesn’t solve the inherent problem of the Dream’s overall talent — for all of Howard’s gifts, she has yet to demonstrate she is on par with the league’s MVP candidates, and Atlanta doesn’t have many plus shooters. However, a more efficient offensive system combined with growth from Howard and Gray should at least…
