WNBA: Inconsistency is the one constant factor in regards to the Dream

By means of seven video games, the Atlanta Dream are 4-3. They gutted out an ideal win over the Las Vegas Aces final Friday night time, solely to comply with it up with a flat, offensively futile efficiency in opposition to the Connecticut Solar on Sunday afternoon.

These efforts encapsulate the Dream within the Tanisha Wright period: inconsistent. A win over the defending champs may generate optimistic momentum that leads to Atlanta sustaining a spot close to the highest of the standings; as a substitute, the Dream couldn’t discover the required urgency to compete for 4 quarters in opposition to the league’s lone undefeated staff.

The Dream end up their present three-game homestand in opposition to one other of the league’s titans, the New York Liberty, on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, League Move). Like the sport in opposition to Connecticut, it’s a Commissioner’s Cup sport—and a must-win one if Atlanta needs to stay in competition for a berth within the championship.

To grasp the place the Dream are, and the place they could go, let’s take a more in-depth at how the staff has carried out on either side of the ball.

A creating defensive id?

Picture by Adam Hagy/NBAE through Getty Pictures

Optimistically, it seems Atlanta is starting to see itself as a defensive staff, understanding that establishing a excessive defensive ground is the surest path to success.

Since getting rolled by Minnesota Lynx, the Dream have posted a defensive score of 86.4, a greater than encouraging mark. It’s solely three video games, and different caveats apply. A type of opponents was the Washington Mystics, the worst offense within the league by a big margin. And whereas the Dream’s strong defensive efficiency in opposition to the Aces, top-of-the-line offenses within the league, was spectacular, Vegas’ season-worst 36.2 p.c taking pictures, together with 28.6 p.c from 3, will be defined as an off night time from a few of the high scorers and shooters within the W, even when Atlanta’s elevated exercise made issues tough for the defending champs. Towards the Solar, the Dream confirmed stretches of strong protection, forcing Connecticut to play late into the shot clock and limiting their transition alternatives, however, as their offensive woes turned overwhelming, Atlanta misplaced a few of their edge on that finish.

However, although promising defensive information is much from definitive, there’s sufficient there to point that Atlanta can grow to be one of many league’s higher defensive groups. However will they?

What in regards to the offense?

Picture by Stephen Gosling/NBAE through Getty Pictures

Producing environment friendly offense stays a wrestle for Atlanta. And if the 3s aren’t falling, issues can get ugly. That was the case in opposition to the Solar, when the Dream shot 3-for-16 from deep. Atlanta additionally earned a season-low 12 free throws in opposition to Connecticut, making simply 9 and shutting off one other avenue for straightforward factors.

The Dream’s incapability to attain successfully across the basket make factors from behind the arc or on the line valuable. Atlanta is close to the underside of the league in factors within the paint (28.9 per sport) and second-chance factors (9.7 per sport). That absence of usually simpler alternatives has resulted in Atlanta settling for midrange jumpers, as a league-high 14.8 p.c of their factors per sport come from that space of the ground, although the Dream don’t shoot significantly nicely on such photographs; their total discipline objective proportion is 40.8 p.c, the fourth-worst mark within the league. In distinction, Atlanta is taking pictures 35 p.c from 3, the third-best mark within the league. But, they’re taking a below-average 19.6 3-point makes an attempt per sport.

These stats are a sign of Atlanta’s poor offensive course of, the place the dearth of a starting-caliber level guard because of the delayed debut of Jordin Canada (hand harm), has resulted in too many stagnant positions that flip into unadvantageous isolation makes an attempt. Rhyne Howard, specifically, is overburdened with further creation tasks that not solely haven’t served the Dream, but in addition have sunk her taking pictures, as she has not made a 3-pointer within the final three video games, going 0-for-15. Towards the Mystics, the Dream offense survived behind stellar particular person efforts from Tina Charles, a 17-point and 15-rebound double-double, and Allisha Grey, a 4-for-6 night time from 3 and 19 whole factors. Grey additionally bought it going in opposition to the Aces, hitting six triples on her method to a season-high 24 factors.

Particular person scoring expertise, in brief, is Atlanta’s offensive resolution. And between Charles, Grey and Howard, they usually can muster sufficient robust shotmaking that, when mixed with a strong defensive effort, can ship wins. However that expertise might be utilized and optimized inside a cohesive offensive system, one thing that continues to elude Atlanta.