As the Atlanta Dream ready for their season opener Saturday with a slate full of fresh faces, they will rely on the strong culture they’ve built in training camp to take their next steps forward in becoming playoff contenders.
The team has fallen short of the postseason the last few years – last season by just one game – despite seeing No. 1 draft pick Rhyne Howard named the rookie of the year. But second-year coach Tanisha Wright and her veterans believe that the collection of returners and newcomers she has on her hands bodes well for 2023.
“Right now, we’re just working on our chemistry and building a defensive mentality and just being the aggressors and being the toughest, hardest-working team out there,” returning forward Cheyenne Parker said.
Also back are forwards Monique Billings, Nia Coffey and Naz Hillmon, and guards AD Durr and Aari McDonald.
In the offseason, Atlanta acquired veteran guards Allisha Gray and Danielle Robinson via trade from the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever, respectively. They also drafted Haley Jones, Laeticia Amihere and Leigha Brown to build around their core.
In preseason game action Gray, in particular, showed off why the Dream traded their third overall pick to the Dallas Wings for her. Against the…
