Hey Naz, you’re an All-Star?
No, the Atlanta Dream’s Naz Hillmon is unlikely to be selected as a 2025 WNBA All-Star. Instead, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are near guarantees to each earn a third-straight All-Star nomination and represent the third-place Dream in Indianapolis in July. Brionna Jones also should garner significant All-Star consideration.
Hillmon, however, is the ultimate All-Star in her role. A premier candidate for Sixth Player of the Year honors, it’s Hillmon who has made the team click, turning the Dream from a squad seemingly destined for another disappointing season into one with legitimate playoff upside.
Through the Dream’s first four games, when they compiled a 2-2 record and even scoring margin, Hillmon was on the fringes of head coach Karl Smesko’s rotation, averaging less than five minutes per game. An injury to Brittney Griner required Smesko to turn to Hillmon for more minutes, and from then on, it’s been risky for Atlanta to have her off the court. Since she’s become a more prominent part of the rotation, Atlanta has lost just once.
Slice, dice, simmer and sauté the numbers any way you want, but the stats consistently reveal that Atlanta absolutely cooks when Hillmon is on the floor.
During Hillmon’s minutes, Atlanta has…
