The 2023 Atlanta Dream season was the 16th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association, and their second season under head coach Tanisha Wright.
| 2023 Atlanta Dream season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Tanisha Wright |
| Arena | Gateway Center Arena |
| Attendance | 3,006 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 19–21 (.475) |
| Place | T-3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | 5th seed; Lost 1st Round 0–2 to Dallas |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Rhyne Howard – 17.5 ppg |
| Rebounds | Cheyenne Parker – 6.7 rpg |
| Assists | Rhyne Howard – 3.5 apg |
The Dream secured the third overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft in the 2023 Draft Lottery. They entered the lottery with the 2nd best odds to get the first overall pick.[1]
Former assistant coach Christie Sides from the 2022 season left the team in the offseason after she was named the new head coach of the Indiana Fever.[2]
The Dream alternated losses and wins to begin the season and finished May with a 2–2 overall record. The pattern didn't carry over into June where the team lost its first three games of the month. However, fortunes turned as the Dream won their next three. Again, the team was streaky, and lost their next three games. They won the final game of the month to finish with a 4–6 record in June. The Dream carried that momentum into July as they won six straight games to start the month, and extended their winning streak to seven games. They lost two games back to back against Connecticut but won two of their last three games in the month to finish July 8–3. The Dream's good form did not carry over into August as they lost their first two games of the month. They did pick up a win before losing their next three. After stopping that losing streak with a win against Chicago, the Dream lost their next three games before ending the month with a win. A 3–8 August record left them in the hunt for a playoff spot entering the final month. They started September with an overtime loss against Minnesota before winning their next two games. The first of those wins secured them a playoff spot. They lost the final game of the regular season and finished in a three-way tie for fifth place. They finished September with a 2–2 record, which made their season record 19–21.
The Dream won the tiebreakers over both Minnesota and Washington. The tiebreaker was combined regular season record, where the Dream were 5–2. The Dream earned the fifth seed for the playoffs, which meant they would face off against the fourth seed Dallas Wings. In the first game, in Dallas, the Dream kept the game close, but ultimately came up short losing 82–94. The second game in Dallas was not as close and the Dream lost 74–101 to end their season. Their nineteen regular season wins were their highest total since 2018 and their playoff qualification was only their second in the last eight years.
Transactions
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Haley Jones |  United States | Stanford |
| 1 | 8 | Laeticia Amihere |  Canada | South Carolina |
| 2 | 15 | Leigha Brown | United States | Michigan |
Transactions
| Date | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2022 | Extended Head Coach Tanisha Wright and General Manager Dan Padover to 5 Year Extensions[3] | |
| January 13, 2023 | Extended Qualifying Offers to AD Durr and Beatrice Mompremier[4] | |
| Traded Kristy Wallace to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Danielle Robinson[5] | ||
| January 21, 2023 | Traded the #3 Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft and a First-Round Pick in 2025 to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Allisha Gray[6] | |
| February 1, 2023 | Signed Nia Coffey and AD Durr[7] | |
| February 3, 2023 | Signed Monique Billings[8] | |
| February 9, 2023 | Traded Tiffany Hayes to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the 6th Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft[9] | |
| Hired Vickie Johnson as Assistant Coach[10] | ||
| February 11, 2023 | Claimed and Awarded Iliana Rupert of a Waivers[11] | |
| February 21, 2023 | Signed Beatrice Mompremier to the Qualifying Offer - Training Camp Contract[12] | |
| February 24, 2023 | Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Aari McDonald | |
| March 2, 2023 | Signed Mikayla Pivec to a Training Camp Contract[13] | |
| March 7, 2023 | Signed Allisha Gray to a Contract Extension[14] | |
| March 8, 2023 | Signed Lorela Cubaj to a Training Camp Contract[15] | |
| March 9, 2023 | Signed Cheyenne Parker to a Contract Extension[14] | |
| April 13, 2023 | Signed Laeticia Amihere to a Rookie Scale Contract | |
| April 17, 2023 | Waived Beatrice Mompremier[16] | |
| April 18, 2023 | Signed Haley Jones and Leigha Brown to Rookie Scale Contracts | |
| April 20, 2023 | Signed Alaina Coates to a Training Camp Contract[17] | |
| May 5, 2023 | Waived Alaina Coates and Mikayla Pivec[18] | |
| May 16, 2023 | Traded Leigha Brown to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick[19] | |
| May 18, 2023 | Temporarily suspended the contract of Iliana Rupert due to Overseas Commitments[20] | |
| June 3, 2023 | Waived Lorela Cubaj[21] | |
| June 5, 2023 | Signed Taylor Mikesell[22] | |
| July 3, 2023 | Waived Taylor Mikesell[23] | |
| July 4, 2023 | Activated the temporarily suspended contract of Iliana Rupert due to Overseas Commitments[24] | |
Roster Changes
Subtractions
| Personnel | Reason | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Christie Sides | New Job - Head Coach | Indiana Fever |
| Kristy Wallace | Traded | Indiana Fever |
| Tiffany Hayes | Traded | Connecticut Sun |
| Maya Caldwell | Free Agency | Indiana Fever |
| Erica Wheeler | Free Agency | Indiana Fever |
| Kaila Charles | Free Agency | Seattle Storm |
| Beatrice Mompremier | Waived | - |
| Kia Vaughn | Retired | - |
Roster
| 2023 Atlanta Dream roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth
| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Danielle Robinson | Aari McDonald |
| SG | Allisha Gray | Haley Jones |
| SF | Rhyne Howard | AD Durr |
| PF | Nia Coffey | Naz Hillmon Laeticia Amihere |
| C | Cheyenne Parker | Monique Billings Iliana Rupert |
Schedule
Preseason
| 2023 pre-season game log Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
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| 2023 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular Season
Playoffs
| 2023 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Dallas Lost Series: 0–2
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| 2023 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
| 6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
| 11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from postseason contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Playoffs
| Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New York Liberty | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | ||||||||||||
Bold Series winner
Statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyne Howard | 39 | 39 | 32.9 | .385 | .352 | .788 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 17.5 |
| Allisha Gray | 38 | 38 | 32.7 | .465 | .356 | .824 | 4.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 17.1 |
| Cheyene Parker | 40 | 38 | 26.7 | .483 | .278 | .829 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 15.0 |
| Aari McDonald | 24 | 9 | 23.5 | .402 | .321 | .762 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 7.9 |
| Nia Coffey | 31 | 31 | 21.9 | .432 | .402 | .625 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 6.9 |
| Danielle Robinson | 32 | 27 | 21.6 | .461 | .290 | .750 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.8 |
| Monique Billings | 39 | 9 | 16.7 | .407 | .000 | .836 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 4.8 |
| AD Durr | 36 | 0 | 10.9 | .380 | .322 | .769 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| Naz Hillmon | 40 | 3 | 13.5 | .509 | .000 | .852 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| Haley Jones | 40 | 6 | 14.6 | .337 | .214 | .756 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 3.7 |
| Laeticia Amihere | 20 | 0 | 7.4 | .405 | .000 | .537 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| Taylor Mikesell‡ | 6 | 0 | 4.8 | .500 | .429 | 1.000 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Iliana Rupert | 20 | 0 | 7.9 | .353 | .273 | .625 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Lorela Cubaj‡ | 3 | 0 | 6.3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyne Howard | 2 | 2 | 37.5 | .431 | .458 | .667 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 28.5 |
| Allisha Gray | 2 | 2 | 36.0 | .424 | .385 | .700 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 20.0 |
| Cheyenne Parker | 2 | 2 | 33.5 | .323 | .500 | .750 | 6.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| Monique Billings | 2 | 2 | 23.5 | .286 | .000 | .625 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.5 |
| Haley Jones | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.000 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Aari McDonald | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | .273 | .250 | .000 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| Danielle Robinson | 2 | 2 | 22.0 | .200 | .000 | .750 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Iliana Rupert | 1 | 0 | 14.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| AD Durr | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Naz Hillmon | 2 | 0 | 14.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Laeticia Amihere | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allisha Gray | WNBA All-Star | July 1 | [25] |
| Cheyenne Parker | WNBA All-Star | July 1 | [25] |
| Rhyne Howard | WNBA All-Star Injury Replacement | July 11 | [26] |
| Tanisha Wright | Coach of the Month - July | August 2 | [27] |