Since the WNBA has resumed after the FIBA World Cup break, it’s the Atlanta Dream that has stolen the limelight, confidently projecting themselves as one of the contenders, and their numbers are strongly backing their case.
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ESPN analyst Monica McNutt highlighted a compelling paradox driving the Atlanta Dream’s late-season surge. Angel Reese is averaging a 23-point double-double since the FIBA World Cup break, yet she isn’t even the team’s primary offensive option. That dynamic has fueled an undefeated 3-0 run post-break, pushing Atlanta ahead of the Indiana Fever in the playoff picture.
“Atlanta is just so multiple. You mentioned how many players that are good for double-digit points on any given night,” McNutt said on Yahoo Sports Daily. “Angel Reese is a walking double-double.”
Well, McNutt is not wrong. Reese has been a walking double-double since her rookie season. In her third season, she has been averaging 16.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
But unlike her first two WNBA seasons in Chicago, Reese is not carrying a roster alone. Atlanta’s depth is the primary difference maker, allowing her talent to thrive alongside established scoring threats. McNutt emphasized that this balanced core separates the Dream from other rising teams.
“When you talk about Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard in particular, leading that charge,” McNutt added. “And so this is a group that I really, really liked when I was putting my list of contenders together and limited it to just four for a while… Jordin Canada, who I don’t think gets enough credit for what she does with a double-double yesterday as well. There’s just so much to love about this Dream team.”
One win against the New York Liberty on Wednesday secures Atlanta’s top-four seed regardless of how Indiana fares. That surge from international play echoes past roster transformations where adding elite surrounding guards allowed paint-dominant stars to elevate contenders.
“It was sort of them or Indiana, teetering back and forth. But by the metrics, you have to give the advantage to the Atlanta Dream,” McNutt explained. “And of course, the regular-season series with the Fever is tied 2-2.”
The Dream and Fever have swapped playoff seeding positions throughout the season. In the current bracket, fifth-seeded Indiana would travel to Atlanta for Game 1. A first-round matchup would pit Reese against Caitlin Clark, setting up a blockbuster opening series between two of the league’s biggest stars.
“It’s the Dream. It’s the Fever. If the playoffs started today, we would get Dream-Fever in the first round of the postseason, which I’m sure everyone’s going to be super chill about,” McNutt said.
McNutt favors the Dream by the metrics, even though both squads have established themselves as legitimate threats to top contenders like Minnesota and the Golden State Valkyries.
Since the FIBA break ended, Reese has averaged 23.7 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Supported by Canada, Gray, and Howard, the Dream have built momentum at the ideal time, including a victory over the top-seeded Lynx just before the international pause.