The Atlanta Dream sit atop ’s WNBA power rankings this week after back-to-back wins that pushed their defense and depth into the spotlight, and coach Karl Smesko says the rest of the league has taken notice.
Atlanta beat Dallas 86-69 and edged Phoenix 82-80 over the last seven days, with Rhyne Howard scoring a combined 46 points, Angel Reese grabbing 19 rebounds and Jordin Canada delivering 20 assists across the two games. Allisha Gray added 34 points in those wins and leads the Dream at 21.8 points per game. The results, and Atlanta’s league-best 97.3 defensive rating, have produced the best win percentage in the league so far.
Smesko framed the moment plainly: "When teams play Atlanta, this is a big game for everybody now," he said, and warned that the team will continue to face intensified challenges. "We're going to see everybody's best shot. I'm just very happy that we've met the moment a few times already." He also singled out Howard’s growth: "Rhyne has just been fantastic so far this year—always been great, but I think this is the year she is just taking it to another level."
The numbers behind the ranking are tidy. Atlanta’s only blemish is an 85-84 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on May 17, and the Dream have outscored opponents in the fourth quarter of all five games so far. The balanced production — high-percentage defense and contributions across the roster — is the case used to justify moving Atlanta to No. 1.
Those moves come as the national picture looks crowded. Sports’ power board lists the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky among the top teams behind the Aces, while Las Vegas remains No. 1 in ’s rankings and the Connecticut Sun sit at the bottom. The divergence between ranking systems underscores how quickly the wnba standings can tilt early in the season.
Minnesota has been sturdy, rebounding from a loss on May 17 to run off wins of 100-72 over Toronto and 85-75 over Chicago. The Fever have been on an upward swing as well, moving up seven spots in ’s rankings after 90-73 and 90-82 victories this week. Those surges make Atlanta’s recent climb less a fluke and more the product of a compressed race at the top.
The Dream’s ascent also carries its contradictions. Atlanta’s defensive identity is clear, but the narrow loss to Las Vegas and the compressed schedule mean little room for error. Smesko has praised his players’ versatility — he pointed to Howard’s ability to shift from high-assist games to big scoring nights — but the coach also acknowledged that opponents will schematically chase Atlanta’s strengths.
Practical tests arrive fast. ’s upcoming schedule sends Atlanta on the road to Minnesota on May 27, then to Chicago on May 28 and to Phoenix on May 29, with another trip to Phoenix set for June 1. If the Dream can protect their defensive rating and keep their fourth-quarter edge away from home, their No. 1 slot in the wnba standings will look earned; if fatigue or matchup problems creep in, the ranking could be short-lived.
For now, the Dream’s combination of a stingy defense and distributed scoring has reshaped how opponents prepare. Smesko’s assessment may be the clearest takeaway: this is a team that has drawn the league’s full attention, and the next two weeks of road games will decide whether Atlanta can transform early praise into sustained supremacy.
