During the closing moments of the Atlanta Dream’s dominant 83-65 victory over the Chicago Sky last week, you could see Allisha Gray joking around and having fun with her teammates on the bench. Rhyne Howard put on the glasses that Gray always wears during games, and that has turned into a fun bit the players do.
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Gray’s Greatness
Gray has greatly impacted this team on the court and now off the court as well. It is always great to see a new player on a team bond with their teammates this soon. Chemistry players have off the court can very easily translate on the court. Dream players will be more likely to trust Gray taking shots, which has obviously helped so far.
An All-Star selection is calling Gray’s name early on, as she is averaging 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists through the first five games of the season while shooting 35.0% from three and 46.0% from the field.
The best start of her career!
Atlanta is 2-3 so far but have shown tremendous growth in their last two games. The first game of those two being the triumphant 18-point victory over Kahleah Copper and the Chicago Sky. That was a great team effort as no one on Chicago had more than 11 points.
The second of those two games and the latest of the season was against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Most people consider the Aces to be a super team. Four of their five starters were All-Stars last year, including the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, A’ja Wilson. After being down 19 late in the third quarter, the Dream battled back to make it a two-point game with 36 seconds left. Unfortunately, Chelsea Gray did what she does best and hit a very difficult jump shot to extend the lead back to two possessions.
The Dream ultimately fell short, 92-87.
What should have been a blowout loss against this undefeated juggernaut of a team, ended up being a nail-biting finish with more positives than negatives to take away.
Dream’s Future not Gray at all With Help From Allisha
There is no flaw to Allisha Gray‘s game. You need her to score? She’s got you. You need her to facilitate? She can pass the rock. You need her to fight for rebounds? She does that every game.
Gray is the type of player that would instantly make any team better.
Last season, the Dream relied heavily on their rookie phenom, Rhyne Howard. If she had a bad game, the Dream would for sure lose.
Atlanta’s first win of this season came against the Minnesota Lynx where the Dream won 83-77. In that game, Rhyne Howard only had eight points.
How could that be?
The answer was simple: Allisha Gray.
Gray picked up a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds! Gray noticed Howard’s shot wasn’t falling, so she took matters into her own hands. Dream fans, along with the players, are relieved that the team doesn’t have to be one dimensional anymore.
Howard can relax more now that she has a teammate to pick up any slack. Opposing teams can’t throw double teams at her like they used to.
The Dream are one of the most fun and exciting teams to watch in the WNBA. As the season continues to move along, Atlanta’s chemistry will only grow stronger.
The team will only get better. The rest of the league better watch out. The Atlanta Dream aren’t a team to take lightly anymore.
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