Atlanta Dream’s Karl Smesko in mix for Coach of the Year after ‘unbelievable’ jump
When Karl Smesko took over as coach of the Atlanta Dream, he knew he had talent.
The Dream had added frontcourt powerhouses Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner in the offseason to pair with a core that featured Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon. If the roster stayed healthy — even with Canada, Griner and Howard battling significant injuries this season — Smesko believed his team could “compete with anybody.”
What Smesko didn’t anticipate was making history. In his first WNBA season, the longtime Florida Gulf Coast coach has guided the team to a franchise-best win total, vaulted them into the league’s top tier, and positioned the Dream to host their first playoff game since 2018 and their first at Gateway Center Arena.
For Smesko, the transition hasn’t been seamless. After 23 years building a mid-major powerhouse, he has acknowledged he’s still adjusting to the logistics and pace of the pro game. But the results speak for themselves.
“In one year, for him to take a team and become a top-two team, that’s unbelievable to me, given the jump that we’ve made,” Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover said. “I can’t remember a jump like that in recent history when a new coach comes in. … To get a team to be a potential top-four (postseason) team in this league is so hard. It takes some franchises a decade to try to get there and some still can’t get there. … It’s unbelievable.”
The Dream, once mired in the league’s offensive basement, has transformed into a contender on both ends of the floor. By the end of last season, the Dream ranked 11th in offensive rating (99.0) and made only 30.8% of their 3-point shots. They sat near the bottom in nearly every efficiency category. This season, they’ve surged to fifth in points per game (83.7), third in points allowed (77.3), second in offensive (105.1) and defensive rating (96.5), and fourth in 2-point shooting (51.8%) while also helping Howard, Gray and Jones to become All-Stars once more this season.
Since the All-Star break, the Dream have taken their game to another level. They have owned the league’s best defensive rating (99.5) while posting the second-best offensive rating (109.3) and net rating (9.8), trailing only the Lynx in both categories. The turnaround recalls 2018, the last time the Dream broke the 20-win mark, finished above .500, and made a run to the conference finals. Only now, the numbers suggest a team built for even more.
Only two Dream coaches in franchise history have earned the league’s top sideline honor. Marynell Meadors captured Coach of the Year in 2009, her second season guiding the Dream. Nearly a decade later, Nicki Collen won the award in 2018, her first year in charge. Smesko has a chance to join that short, exclusive list.
Smesko isn’t the only coach making a case for hardware. He shares the spotlight with Natalie Nakase, who has turned the Golden State Valkyries into one of the season’s biggest surprises.
The former Las Vegas Aces assistant, who cut her teeth under Becky Hammon, has guided the expansion Valkyries to the best inaugural record by an expansion team in WNBA history. And she did it while navigating major setbacks. Golden State lost Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury only 22 games in and went more than a month without starter Monique Billings, sidelined by a sprained ankle. Even with those blows, Nakase has kept her team inside the league’s top eight, currently holding the No. 6 spot as the regular season winds down and a playoff berth hangs within reach.
And then there’s Cheryl Reeve, the standard-bearer. The longtime Minnesota Lynx coach has once again raised the bar, guiding her team to the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2017, the year Minnesota captured its fourth WNBA championship. This season, the Lynx shattered their own franchise record with 32 wins, topping the 30 they posted last year.
Reeve’s resume already speaks for itself: four Coach of the Year honors (2011, 2016, 2020, 2024), the most in league history. Yet even with all that hardware, only once has she claimed the award in the same year she’s lifted the WNBA championship trophy. Behind MVP contender Napheesa Collier and a balanced roster, Reeve has the Lynx in position to chase both again.
