Unrivaled offers perfect bounce-back opportunity for veteran big after tough W season

Brittney Griner’s move to the Atlanta Dream was met with a lot of excitement and some serious doubts. On one hand, her decision to leave Phoenix gave the Dream a championship veteran and 10-time All-Star. On the other hand, fans couldn’t help but wonder how a frontcourt duo of Griner and Bri Jones would work in the modern WNBA since neither of them is a reliable 3-point threat. 

Those concerns were warranted. Griner eventually came off the bench because Naz Hillmon was a better fit next to Jones. It was the first time in her career that Griner didn’t start every game she played in a season. On top of that, she averaged the fewest minutes, points, rebounds, and blocks of her career. 

Griner is 35 and has taken a step back compared to her best seasons in the W. Still, the former Mercury star can quickly change the narrative around her ability to still play high-level basketball with a strong Unrivaled season. 

Brittney Griner will return for Unrivaled’s second season

Griner was one of the original players selected to play in Unrivaled—a fast-paced, full-court 3-on-3 league that didn’t necessarily seem to be the greatest fit for Griner. Unrivaled allows players to showcase their versatility, speed, and mobility, and some fans were worried if Griner would be able to keep up with smaller, quicker players. 

Griner quickly laid those doubts to rest. She averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game for Phantom BC. She ranked tenth in scoring across the league and tied with Napheesa Collier for the most blocks per game. Griner regularly scored around twenty points, including a 29-point performance in 15 minutes against the Mist. She also hit five 3-pointers over 14 games—a number she only tied or exceeded twice in her WNBA career. 

Griner was one of the most productive players on a Phantom roster that also featured Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Marina Mabrey, and Natasha Cloud. Ionescu missed much of the season due to other commitments and Mabrey suffered an injury that kept her out of all but three games. The Phantom didn’t make the playoffs. 

Griner will play for Vinyl BC this winter

Since Phantom BC didn’t make the playoffs, the club was only allowed to protect one player from last season’s roster. They chose Satou Sabally, causing Griner to be drafted to a new team. Griner was in Pod F alongside Shakira Austin, Monique Billings, Cameron Brink, Kiki Iriafen, Aaliyah Edwards, Naz Hillmon, and Li Yueru. 

Griner ended up with Vinyl, joining Rae Burrell, Erica Wheeler, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, and Courtney Williams. Hamby had a phenomenal first season in Unrivaled, finishing fifth in points per game with 19.9 and in rebounds per game. So, Hamby will likely be Teresa Weatherspoon’s starting big, relegating Griner to the bench. 

However, Griner proved in her first Unrivaled season that she doesn’t need many minutes to impact games. She only played more than 19 minutes once and still managed to put up big numbers.