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Dream backcourt dominates during win streak, but the frontcourt deserves credit
Itโs almost offensive how much we should have seen this coming.
Maybe it was Nicki Collenโs departure or interim coach Mike Petersenโs windmill sermon, but nothing about the Atlanta Dream felt guaranteed when the team tipped off against Connecticut on opening night. Five games into the season, we can now consider the Dreamโs high-powered, guard-oriented offense as a metaphorical middle finger to those low expectations. Or we could just listen to Courtney Williams:
During the Dreamโs three-game win streak, the trio of Williams, Tiffany Hayes and Chennedy Carter are averaging 55.0 points and 10.0 assists on uber-efficient play from the field. Petersenโs job somehow gets even easier with the bench unit, as he gets to sub in his choice of a former All-Star (Odyssey Sims) and an explosive lottery pick (Aari McDonald).
So yeah, it would have been a crime if Atlantaโs backcourt didnโt flourish. But weโre not here to talk about that. Weโre here for the forwards, and specifically, weโre here for the Dreamโs usage of their power forwards. Before I lose your interest, let me tell you that the Dream are doing some extremely funky things with their frontcourt. And itโs working.
โTheyโre super athletic,โ Williams said of the frontcourt after Thursdayโs 101-95 win over the Dallas Wings. โI think you’ve seen a lot of that tonight, just the way they were rebounding and getting those boards so we all can get out, push the pace and run. I think that’s gonna make us a better team.โ
Cheyenne Parker, who was Atlantaโs flashy free agent signing this past offseason, has missed the teamโs first five games as she remains in health and safety protocols following a positive coronavirus diagnosis.
The Dreamโs frontcourt was supposed to be thin before Parkerโs absence, and it certainly wasnโt supposed to survive without her. But Monique Billings and Crystal Bradford, who have become two of Atlantaโs go-to options at the four, are more than making up for Parkerโs absence. Theyโre making Atlanta wildly fun and unpredictable.
Monique Billings is a renaissance woman
Monique Billings punctuates the little things on a basketball court.
Atlanta has enough talent at the top of its rotation to plug any offensive holes, which means that few players are being asked to take on roles beyond their skillset. That means a player like Billings can thrive.
โThe boost she gives us when she enters the game is palpable. It has palp โ you can feel it,โ Petersen said. โShe gets her hands on balls on defense; she’s super active. She started last year and we’ve asked her to take on a different role, and she has embraced it like a champ.โ
After emerging as a starter in the bubble last year, Petersen has shifted Billings back to the bench this season. That move has transformed her from a reliable rotation piece to a legitimate luxury. Billings is a matchup nightmare on a team that pounces on weakness. When teams go big? Sheโs too fast. When teams go fast? Sheโs too big.
โWe’re in such a nice place,โ Petersen said. โWe sub to our advantage. We don’t sub to cover something up, right? When we bring Mo, Crystal, Odyssey or Aari in, we’re adding value to the lineup. Mo is such a huge part of that.โ
Despite her infectious optimism and brick-wall screens, Billings matches a carnival as much as she does an AP exam. Billings is a scholar of the game, and sheโs refining the edges of her game every year. Through five games this season, the fourth-year pro is averaging 7.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
There are aspects of her game that are imperfect, certainly โ she doesnโt exactly stretch the floor, and her offensive game on the low block isnโt going to startle defenders. Sheโs also shooting a career-low 37 percent from the floor, a figure that she knows is too low for someone whose bread and butter comes around the basket. But the rest of her game is keeping her on the floor.
Atlanta likes to play fast, and Billings has enough gas in the tank to speed without swerving. Unlike in years past, when careless turnovers and defensive miscues would spoil her success, Billings is playing near-perfect basketball from a technical standpoint. The numbers back up her brilliance: Billings currently leads Atlanta in plus-minus after ranking 114th in the WNBA last season.
Sheโs also showcased her value as a rebounder when Atlanta goes small, which, in case you havenโt noticed, is always. Billings dropped a double-double in Atlantaโs last contest, which was all the more impressive when you consider that it came against the leagueโs top rebounding team. Boxing out has been the $1,000 answer to every question about size since the start of training camp, and Billings has fit the bill on the boards.
That doesnโt mean the Dream have to sacrifice when she moves away from the basket, though. Sheโs poised enough to create pockets of space with on- and off-ball screens.
โI take pride in getting my guards open, so if they get open off my screen, I’m like, โWe’re sharing that bucket.โ I get a point, they get a point,โ Billings said. โFor example, if I’m getting [Shekinna Stricklen] open, she hits a wide-open three just off of the screen that I set, that’s a bucket for both of us. That’s a great feeling.โ
Billingsโ defensive versatility has earned her minutes that should extend beyond Parkerโs Dream debut. Atlanta can play three guards at once because Billings and the rest of the Atlanta Dream frontcourt are fast and switchable. Opponents havenโt attacked mismatched bigs because there arenโt any on the court.
So how can a forward who shoots 37 percent from the floor be considered an irreplaceable asset? By doing everything else at a high level.
Crystal Bradford is the worldโs most interesting pick-and-pop partner
Hereโs a PSA to every team that sets screens with its shot creators: you have my attention. While it would be foolish to compare Crystal Bradford to the leagueโs top wing creators, Atlanta has unlocked a unique and effective weapon with her in the screening position.
Though Bradford is listed as a guard given her 6โ stature, Petersen has opted to play her at the four alongside Atlantaโs array of smaller creators. In that role, sheโs become a Swiss Army knife on steroids. Sometimes, those screens mean that sheโll switch onto a smaller guard, which leads to an easy shot over the top of the defender like she has in this play against 5โ6 Shyla Heal.
Most of the time, the opposing wing or big who started on Bradford will begin to double off of her since Atlantaโs guards can create chaos in one-on-one situations. That creates too much space for a 35 percent 3-point shooter.
Youโll rarely see a screener who puts the ball on the floor as much as Bradford. Yes, she is smaller than most forwards who can create their own shot, and sheโs setting flare screens more often than the brick walls that Billings prefers. But her two-person game with Atlantaโs smaller guards makes the Dream unpredictable and a joy to watch.
If Atlanta Dream fans are eager to see more unorthodox lineups with Bradford, they shouldnโt have to wait long.
โCrystal has tremendous position flexibility,โ Petersen said. โI mean, she’s long enough and tall enough and plays hard enough that we can play her at the four. She’s skilled enough to play her at the three. She can guard almost all five spots. She’s super switchable and she can trap. So as the season goes along, we will try to use her in different ways.โ
The best of the rest is yet to come
Itโs still bizarre that Atlantaโs best frontcourt player has yet to arrive. Parker will change the makeup of this team, and given Atlantaโs current rotations, I envision that sheโll play alongside Bradford and Billings at the five. For now, she remains in health and safety protocol after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Dream frontcourt hasnโt been perfect, however. Fouls have been a major area of concern in Atlanta. What Atlanta lacks in size it makes up for in defensive intensity, but thatโs led to chaos and chippy fouls from many of the players. For reference, only two WNBA teams have ever allowed opponents to get at least 25 percent of their points from the free-throw line, per Her Hoop Stats. Atlantaโs at that mark right now.
Elizabeth Williams is also off to a surprisingly rocky start this season. After emerging as a consistent option in Atlanta over the last five years, Williams has struggled to get much going in 2021, averaging about half as many points (5.2) as she did last season (10.1). Defensively, sheโs still playing at a high level โ sheโs Atlantaโs smartest defensive big, averaging just 1.6 personal fouls alongside 1.2 blocks per game. Positive regression to the mean could be on the way for her and Tianna Hawkins, even with fewer minutes to spare once Parker returns.
