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This WNBA season, several formerly-automatic All-Stars have experienced unfamiliar struggles, missing out on the midseason honor due to subpar stats and inconsistent contributions.
Of that group of vets, Brittney Griner’s troubles were most understandable. After spending all 11 seasons of her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, she signed with the Atlanta Dream as a free agent during the offseason. She was making this move at age 34, considered past most players’ primes. And she would be playing in a new system that was asking her to shift her game in new ways, mainly by playing more frequently on the perimeter and taking 3-pointers.
The adjustment period was evident and awkward. After opening the season with 18-point and 21-point performances, she soon slogged through too frequent single-digit scoring nights, oftentimes receiving limited shots attempts as she played truncated minutes. The Dream were still winning games, but it usually wasn’t because of BG. Before the All-Star break, she was averaging career lows across the board: 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 2.6 free throw attempts in less than 24 minutes per game.
The eye test inspired even less confidence than the stats. Never especially quick at 6-foot-9, Griner seemed particularly plodding, with her slow, stilted movements betraying a lack comfort and confidence. Her jumper, always slow but ever smooth, now looked creaky as the ball clanked off the rim.
Following a particularly desultory Dream loss to the Dallas Wings, when Griner scored just two points on three shot attempts, Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko committed to prioritizing Griner. Even if her play perked up over the subsequent games, it was worth wondering if featuring BG risked jeopardizing what had make the Dream successful thus far. Bombing 3s, rather than trying to force the ball to Griner on the block, was working for Atlanta. It made sense that the Dream wanted Griner, the highest-profile free agent signed in franchise history, to succeed. But should that come at the expense of wins?
Asked Karl Smesko about Brittney Griner, who hasn’t played her best in recent games.
Smesko: “That’s gonna be on me. We gotta find her a way to get her some more deep touches.”
Says they can’t forget about the post presence/it would have helped today when shooting was down.
— Hall About Sports (@HallAbtSports) June 25, 2025
That worry, fortunately, appears to have evaporated. BG is playing like BG, again. And it shouldn’t be a surprise. She’s an an all-time great. Despite the unfamiliarity and age, she’s too talented for things not to work—eventually.
Maybe she just needed some time to recharge and recalibrate over the All-Star break. Maybe some extra time with Bash was the magic elixir. Or maybe it was her first return to Phoenix, where the Mercury organization and X-Factor fêted her with a return celebration fit for a franchise legend and community pillar.
In that game, the second of an immediate post-All Star back-to-back for the Dream, Griner dropped 17 points, going 8-for-12 from the field and grabbing eight boards as Atlanta secured a 90-79 win. She then was even better in an even bigger win for the Dream. On Sunday, Atlanta handed the Minnesota Lynx their first home regular-season loss of the season, spurred by Griner’s 17-point first half. She would finish with a season-high 22 points, four boards and a season-best matching three assists. In the four-point win, 90-86, Atlanta outscored Minnesota by a team-leading 13 points in Griner’s 30 minutes.
The game was the best she’s looked in a Dream uniform. Griner played with increased lightness and fluidity as she operated with ease around the basket. She made quick, confident decisions when she received the ball, allowing her to splash in smooth buckets over opposing defenders. Her scoring prowess also unlocked her passing potential, as she passed out of double teams to set up teammates for 3s on three occasions.
While the sample size is small, Griner is averaging 16 points on 60 percent shooting in almost 27 minutes per game in three post-All-Star games. That’s the kind of production Atlanta was expecting.
And her rediscovery of her more familiar form has come at the perfect time, as the Dream have been without Rhyne Howard since she suffered a knee injury on July 11. Griner’s extra juice helped Atlanta go 3-2 in the five road games Howard missed. Forthcoming back-to-back home games against the Golden State Valkyries and Dallas Wings, two teams that tend to play smaller lineups, present two more opportunities for Atlanta to benefit from Griner’s enhanced impact.
BG is back—and the Dream are better for it!
