What’s wrong with the Atlanta Dream’s offense?

“Sometimes we get into the habit of standing and looking at each other,” reserve forward Naz Hillmon told The Next. “Our (offense) is at its best when we’re moving, and that’s really what our offense is. Being able to pass, cut and go with the flow.

A significant flaw in the Dream’s offensive strategy, which relies on an inverted system focused on chasing one-on-one matchups, is its remarkably low pick-and-roll (PnR) frequency. PnRs are a vital part of modern WNBA offenses.

The Next, an editorial team dedicated to women’s basketball 24/7, 365 days a year

The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young and diverse team and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections on the game we love.

When Las Vegas hired head coach Becky Hammon in 2022, she revamped the Aces’ philosophy from post-centric scoring to creative plays built around ball-screen offense. This helped them win back-to-back WNBA titles.

Atlanta is taking a different approach, averaging just 14.3 PnR possessions per game, the lowest mark of any WNBA team since the 3-31 Tulsa Shock in 2011, according to Synergy Sports.

The Dream had just nine PnRs in the loss to New York, a low number even for a team that doesn’t prioritize ball screens. Atlanta scored or tied on seven of its PnR possessions, averaging an impressive 1.4 points per possession (PPP). And on one of the two misses, a terrific screen by forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus created an open 3-point look for wing Rhyne Howard.

Despite success with ball screens and difficulty scoring in the post (0.57 PPP) against Liberty stars Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, Dream head coach Tanisha Wright has remained true to her philosophy.

Diving into the offensive numbers

The Dream may have an average offense due to the scoring talent of guards Allisha Gray and Howard. But it also requires playing with pace and creating easy opportunities in transition, as Atlanta did in 2023. Last season, it led the league in pace (82.3 possessions per game), but in 2024 it has fallen to No. 10 (80.5). .

“We’re not, and it’s not intentional,” Wright said of whether the team is meeting the coaching staff’s expectations for pace. “We have different staff this year. Cheyenne is playing four this year and not five, which makes a difference. We also have Tina Charles, who plays five for us, so it’s going to be a little different in terms of analyzing where we are as a team.

“Our pace in terms of half-court offense is what we emphasize the most. (For example), not entering our boards and (instead) quickly entering our locations and quickly interrupting actions.

Get 24/7 football coverage with The Equalizer

The Next is partnering with The Equalizer to bring more women’s sports stories to your inbox. Subscribers to The Next receive 50% off their subscription to The Equalizer for 24/7 coverage of women’s football.

This season, Wright has prioritized post touches for Charles, 35, over a style of play that suits Howard, Atlanta’s generational move-shooting, shot-creating wing. This is why Nia Coffey has been so valuable to the Dream in 2023. Standing 6’1 with considerable wingspan and functional strength, she is a versatile defender and sharpshooter,¹ which allowed Atlanta to play a four-out, one-in system. This also allowed Parker-Tyus more space to operate in the position.²

According to WNBA.com, Atlanta had an offensive rating of 98.5 and a defensive rating of 98.0 (0.5 net rating) and averaged 83.8 possessions per game with Gray, Howard, Coffey and Parker-Tyus on the court in 2023. This net rating means Atlanta scored 0.5 points more than it allowed per 100 possessions with this group on the court.

When the Dream added Haley Jones to that roster, the Dream’s net rating jumped to 11.3, making them the ninth-best roster in the WNBA among five-player groups to play at least 80 minutes.

In contrast, if you replace Charles with Coffey, the Dream has a 95.1 offensive rating and a 101.4 defensive rating (-6.3 net rating) through eight games in 2024. Wright only used Jones, Gray, Howard, Coffey and Parker-Tyus. lineup in one game, Atlanta’s close loss to Phoenix on May 18. In those four minutes, the Dream scored seven points on 50 percent shooting from the field while outscoring the Mercury by three points.

With guard Aerial Powers at 24.9 percent usage rate and Charles at 21.6 percent, the Dream took the ball out of Howard’s hands more than almost any time in his young career.

Can Jordan Canada solve this problem?

Wright was vague regarding the timeline for point guard Jordin Canada’s return from a right hand injury that has kept her sidelined since the start of training camp. She is progressing well, but we do not know if she will return before the Olympic vacation in July.

Canada, who Atlanta acquired from Los Angeles in a sign-and-trade deal in February, will make an immediate impact. The 5’6 guard is one of the fastest players in the WNBA and was the league’s highest PnR operator (14 possessions per game) in 2023.

Will Atlanta use more ball screens when Canada returns? This should be a priority. Beyond that, Atlanta’s two big lineups could pose challenges for Canada as a finisher if it constantly tries to score at the edge of the crowd.

Add Locked On women’s basketball to your daily routine

At The Next, in addition to written content provided 24/7/365 by our staff, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week to discuss all things WNBA, college basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

Haley Jones needs ball screens

As The Next’s scouting team wrote in Jones’ 2023 draft profile: “She has good top speed but poor acceleration and acceleration, so she needs wide spacing to prosper.”

Jones can’t consistently create paint touches without a screen or slant defense, which is where PnR comes in. A ball screen can keep a defender away from the paint in two big lineups. If the screen connects with the point of attack defender, Jones will most likely have both feet in the paint, draw a help defender, and create an advantage for himself to score or pass.

Despite being the team’s starting point guard, she has only led 10 PnRs this season, fewer than Powers (18) and backup point guard Crystal Dangerfield (12).

Order “rare stones” and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and publisher of The Next and The IX, released his next book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy her coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday on The IX, you’ll love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and participate MEGDAL30 at the register.

There are misconceptions that you need five shooters on the field to have spacing. But you can have good spacing with inside off-ball movement. That’s the call with a potential Aaliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin frontcourt of the future in Washington.

A summary: Parker-Tyus is the best in the five, Jones needs ball screens, Howard and Gray need space to create, and Coffey is the glue that can bring it all together. Overall, the Atlanta Dream will have a lot of questions to answer over the next few months.