When new Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko was in charge at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), he had a roster full of shooters—literally. On the team’s official roster, players were not listed as a guard, wing, forward or center, but as a “shooter.”
Ahead of Smesko’s first season at the helm in Atlanta, the Dream added two high-profile free agents who are NOT shooters: Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones.
Yes, Griner shot 50 percent from 3 last season, making nine of her 18 attempts. For her career, she’s taken a total of 44 triples, hitting 16. Jones took nearly half of her 29 career 3-pointers last season, going 2-for-14; she has five career makes. Griner and Jones bring talents to Atlanta that, while valuable, appear antithetical to Smesko’s anticipated vision.
So, what are we to make of Atlanta’s free agency additions?
Will Atlanta’s big zag work?
At FGCU, Smesko operated a highly-modern space-and-pace system where his roster full of shooters were encouraged to fire off 3s. In contrast, Griner and Jones, with nine All-Star appearances between them, are two of the best low-post scorers in the game. While BG utilizes her unguardable 6-foot-9 frame to softly score at the hoop or from the short midrange, Breezy, strong and sturdy at 6-foot-3,…