2021 Atlanta Dream season

2021 Atlanta Dream season
CoachDarius Taylor (Interim) (since July 24)
Mike Petersen (Interim) (before July 24)
ArenaGateway Center Arena
Attendance1,347 per game
Results
Record8–24 (.250)
Place5th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Team Leaders
PointsCourtney Williams – 16.5
ReboundsCourtney Williams – 6.8
AssistsCourtney Williams – 4.0

The 2021 WNBA season was the 14th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began the season on May 14, 2021 at home against the Connecticut Sun.[1]

This was the first season that the Dream will play home games at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park. In the 2019 offseason the team elected to move from State Farm Arena. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was played at a neutral site.[2][3]

Mike Petersen began the season as interim head coach, but stepped down on July 24 for health reasons. Darius Taylor took over as interim coach through the end of the regular season.[4]

The Dream began the season by losing their first two games, but then going on a four game winning streak. That win streak was followed by a four game losing streak. After winning their next game, the Dream were 5–6 through their first eleven games. However, the Dream could only win one more of their next eight games to go into the Olympic break with a record of 6–13. The team's struggles continued after the break as they lost seven straight games. They did manage to win two of their last five games to finish with an 8–24 record.

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2021 WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
1 3 Aari McDonald  United States Arizona
2 15 Raquel Carrera  Spain Valencia Basket (Spain)
3 27 Lindsey Pulliam  United States Northwestern

Trades and Roster Changes

Date Details
December 9, 2020 Exercised Team Options on Kalani Brown and Maite Cazorla[5]
January 2, 2021 Extended a Qualifying Offer to Kaela Davis, Jaylyn Agnew, and Blake Dietrick[6]
February 1, 2021 Signed Cheyenne Parker[7]
February 4, 2021 Signed Tianna Hawkins[8]
February 5, 2021 Renounced the rights to Kobi Thornton[9]
February 9, 2021 Renee Montgomery announced her Retirement[10]
February 13, 2021 Traded a 3rd round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Yvonne Turner[11]
February 21, 2021 Signed Kaela Davis to a training-camp contract[12]
Waived Mikayla Pivec and Brittany Brewer
February 22, 2021 Signed Shatori Walker-Kimbrough[13]
March 1, 2021 Signed Odyssey Sims[14]
April 17, 2021 Signed Crystal Bradford and Mikayla Cowling to training camp contracts[15]
April 18, 2021 Signed Aari McDonald and Lindsey Pulliam[16]
May 3, 2021 Mike Petersen promoted to interim head coach after Nicki Collen leaves for Baylor[17]
May 5, 2021 Waived Yvonne Turner.[18]
May 9, 2021 Waived Kaela Davis and Lindsey Pulliam[19]
May 13, 2021 Waived Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Mikayla Cowling[20]
May 26, 2021 Waived Kalani Brown[21]
July 6, 2021 Temporarily Suspend Chennedy Carter
July 26, 2021 Signed Candice Dupree.[22]
August 14, 2021 Cheyenne Parker moved to the Inactive List due to Pregnancy
August 24, 2021 Signed Blake Dietrick.[23]

Roster

2021 Atlanta Dream roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F25Billings, Monique6' 4" (1.93m)192 lb (87kg)1996-05-02UCLA3
G9Bradford, Crystal6' 0" (1.83m)170 lb (77kg)1993-11-01Central Michigan1
G3Carter, Chennedy (S)5' 9" (1.75m)143 lb (65kg)1998-11-14Texas A&M1
G11Dietrick, Blake5' 10" (1.78m)169 lb (77kg)1993-07-19Princeton4
F24Dupree, Candice6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)1984-08-16Temple15
F21Hawkins, Tianna6' 3" (1.91m)186 lb (84kg)1991-03-02Maryland7
G15Hayes, Tiffany5' 10" (1.78m)155 lb (70kg)1989-09-29Connecticut8
G4McDonald, Aari5' 6" (1.68m)141 lb (64kg)1998-08-20ArizonaR
C32Parker, Cheyenne6' 4" (1.93m)193 lb (88kg)1993-08-22Middle Tennessee6
G0Sims, Odyssey5' 8" (1.73m)163 lb (74kg)1992-07-13Baylor7
F40Stricklen, Shekinna6' 2" (1.88m)230 lb (104kg)1990-07-30Tennessee8
G10Williams, Courtney5' 8" (1.73m)133 lb (60kg)1994-05-11South Florida5
C1Williams, Elizabeth6' 3" (1.91m)200 lb (91kg)1993-06-23Duke6
Head coach
Darius Taylor (Michigan)
Assistant coaches
La'Keshia Frett (Georgia)
Daynia La-Force (Georgetown)
Athletic trainer
Natalie Trotter
Strength and conditioning coach
Drew Williams
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth

Pos. Starter Bench
C Elizabeth Williams Cheyenne Parker
PF Monique Billings Candice Dupree
Tianna Hawkins
SF Tiffany Hayes Crystal Bradford
Shekinna Stricklen
SG Courtney Williams Blake Dietrick
PG Odyssey Sims Aari McDonald
Chennedy Carter

Schedule

Preseason

2021 pre-season game log
May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 1 Minnesota W 69–61 Parker
Sims (12) 		Monique Billings (7) Courtney Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
0 		1–0
2 May 5 @ Washington W 87–80 Billings
Sims (13) 		Monique Billings (7) Williams
McDonald
Bradford (2) 		Entertainment and Sports Arena
0 		2–0
2021 pre-season schedule
  • The preseason game vs. Minnesota was a scrimmage. The second half gave both teams multiple possessions and was not played like a real game.[24]

Regular season

2021 game log
Total: 8–24 (Home: 4–12; Road: 4–12)
May: 4–2 (Home: 1–2; Road: 3–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 14 Connecticut L 67–78 Sims
C. Williams (14) 		Billings
Bradford (5) 		Courtney Williams (4) Gateway Center Arena
561 		0–1
2 May 19 Chicago L 77–85 Courtney Williams (24) Billings
C. Williams (8) 		Chennedy Carter (6) Gateway Center Arena
689 		0–2
3 May 21 @ Indiana W 83–79 Chennedy Carter (23) Monique Billings (7) Carter
C. Williams (4) 		Bankers Life Fieldhouse 1–2
4 May 25 @ Chicago W 90–83 Tiffany Hayes (26) Monique Billings (7) Aari McDonald (5) Wintrust Arena
1,004 		2–2
5 May 27 Dallas W 101–95 Tiffany Hayes (26) Monique Billings (11) Courtney Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
711 		3–2
6 May 29 @ New York W 90–87 Courtney Williams (31) Courtney Williams (12) Courtney Williams (7) Barclays Center
1,235 		4–2
June : 2–7 (Home: 2–4; Road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
7 June 4 @ Minnesota L 84-86 Tiffany Hayes (23) Courtney Williams (10) Odyssey Sims (6) Target Center
2,024 		4–3
8 June 6 @ Minnesota L 80–100 Tiffany Hayes (21) Monique Billings (6) Courtney Williams (5) Target Center
2,021 		4–4
9 June 9 Seattle L 71–95 Tiffany Hayes (22) Elizabeth Williams (12) Courtney Williams (6) Gateway Center Arena
1,014 		4–5
10 June 11 Seattle L 75–86 Courtney Williams (19) Courtney Williams (11) Hayes
Sims (4) 		Gateway Center Arena
1,405 		4–6
11 June 13 Washington W 101–78 Courtney Williams (21) Elizabeth Williams (7) Tiffany Hayes (6) Gateway Center Arena
1,122 		5–6
12 June 17 @ Washington L 93–96 Odyssey Sims (22) Tianna Hawkins (9) Odyssey Sims (7) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100 		5–7
13 June 23 Minnesota L 85–87 Courtney Williams (24) Parker
E. Williams (7) 		Cheyenne Parker (5) Gateway Center Arena
907 		5–8
14 June 26 New York L 78–101 Chennedy Carter (24) Monique Billings (9) Sims
C. Williams (4) 		Gateway Center Arena
1,605 		5–9
15 June 29 New York W 73–69 Courtney Williams (18) Billings
Bradford (7) 		Carter
C. Williams (4) 		Gateway Center Arena
1,131 		6–9
July : 0–4 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
16 July 2 @ Seattle L 88–91 Courtney Williams (20) Billings
C. Williams (8) 		Bradford
C. Williams (7) 		Angel of the Winds Arena
3,011 		6–10
17 July 4 @ Las Vegas L 95–118 Courtney Williams (19) Cheyenne Parker (7) Odyssey Sims (13) Michelob Ultra Arena
2,705 		6–11
18 July 9 @ Connecticut L 72–84 Cheyenne Parker (15) Parker
Sims (6) 		McDonald
Sims
C. Williams (3) 		Mohegan Sun Arena
2,286 		6–12
19 July 11 Indiana L 68–79 Odyssey Sims (20) Elizabeth Williams (7) Courtney Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
1,897 		6–13
August : 0–6 (Home: 0–3; Road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
20 August 15 @ Phoenix L 81–92 Courtney Williams (30) Monique Billings (8) Courtney Williams (6) Phoenix Suns Arena
7,491 		6–14
21 August 17 @ Los Angeles L 80–85 (OT) Odyssey Sims (26) Courtney Williams (9) Odyssey Sims (6) Staples Center
2,200 		6–15
22 August 19 @ Los Angeles L 64–66 Courtney Williams (23) Courtney Williams (11) Courtney Williams (4) Staples Center
1,885 		6–16
23 August 21 Phoenix L 69–84 Odyssey Sims (16) Courtney Williams (7) Courtney Williams (4) Gateway Center Arena
2,073 		6–17
24 August 24 Chicago L 79–86 Odyssey Sims (17) Monique Billings (8) Odyssey Sims (5) Gateway Center Arena
1,292 		6–18
25 August 26 Las Vegas L 71–78 Monique Billings (21) Hayes
C. Williams (8) 		Courtney Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
2,182 		6–19
September : 2–5 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
26 September 2 @ Dallas L 68–72 Courtney Williams (25) Monique Billings (11) Courtney Williams (7) College Park Center
1,975 		6–20
27 September 5 @ Dallas W 69–64 Tiffany Hayes (22) Monique Billings (14) Monique Billings (4) College Park Center
2,386 		7–20
28 September 8 Phoenix L 75–76 Courtney Williams (20) Courtney Williams (14) Courtney Williams (5) Gateway Center Arena
1,215 		7–21
29 September 10 @ Washington L 74–82 Courtney Williams (23) Monique Billings (10) Tiffany Hayes (6) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,320 		7–22
30 September 14 Indiana W 85–78 Tiffany Hayes (31) Courtney Williams (11) Aari McDonald (6) Gateway Center Arena
1,208 		8–22
31 September 16 Los Angeles L 68–74 Tiffany Hayes (25) Courtney Williams (10) Hayes
Sims (3) 		Gateway Center Arena
2,537 		8–23
32 September 19 @ Connecticut L 64–84 Courtney Williams (18) Billings
C. Williams (6) 		Aari McDonald (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,724 		8–24
2021 season schedule

Standings

# Team W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1 x – Connecticut Sun 26 6 .813 – 12–3 15–1 11–5 9–1
2 x – Las Vegas Aces 24 8 .750 2 11–4 13–3 11–5 6–4
3 x – Minnesota Lynx 22 10 .688 4 10–5 13–3 9–7 7–3
4 x – Seattle Storm 21 11 .656 5 9–6 11–5 10–6 8–2
5 x – Phoenix Mercury 19 13 .594 7 6–9 7–9 12–4 5–5
6 x – Chicago Sky 16 16 .500 10 10–5 6–10 10–6 6–4
7 x – Dallas Wings 14 18 .438 12 7–8 7–9 7–9 3–7
8 x – New York Liberty 12 20 .375 14 6–9 7–9 5–11 5–5
9 e – Washington Mystics 12 20 .375 14 7–8 8–8 4–12 4–6
10 e – Los Angeles Sparks 12 20 .375 14 2–13 8–8 4–12 1–9
11 e – 8 24 .250 18 6–9 4–12 4–12 4–6
12 e – Indiana Fever 6 26 .188 20 4–11 4–12 2–14 2–8

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings


Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular season

Source:[25]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Courtney Williams 32 32 34.4 41.8 38.2 64.2 6.8 4.0 1.1 0.5 16.5
Tiffany Hayes 21 19 28.3 43.8 40.5 85.3 3.2 3.0 1.6 0.2 14.7
Chennedy Carter 11 11 25.5 45.5 11.1 87.5 1.3 3.3 0.7 0.4 14.2
Crystal Bradford 24 9 18.3 42.9 35.8 46.2 3.8 1.5 1.2 0.4 8.8
Odyssey Sims 30 21 25.1 37.0 23.2 72.9 2.5 3.6 1.2 0.1 8.7
Monique Billings 31 9 23.8 49.5 0.0 67.5 6.5 1.0 1.2 1.0 8.1
Candice Dupree 10 4 20.3 43.4 0.0 63.6 3.8 0.6 0.5 0.2 7.3
Aari McDonald 30 4 16.4 32.2 30.8 88.2 1.6 2.0 0.8 0.2 6.3
Elizabeth Williams 32 32 23.8 51.6 0.0 50.9 4.9 1.2 1.1 1.3 5.8
Tianna Hawkins 28 8 15.5 39.7 24.2 91.3 3.1 0.6 0.4 0.5 4.9
Shekinna Stricklen 24 0 9.8 25.9 21.2 40.0 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.2 2.5
Blake Dietrick 9 0 15.7 29.6 31.3 0.0 1.6 1.2 0.6 0.1 2.3

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Courtney Williams WNBA All-Star Selection June 30 [26]
Aari McDonald WNBA All-Rookie Team October 5 [27]

References

  1. ^ "Atlanta Dream 2021 Season Schedule". WNBA.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Atlanta Dream Announces New Home Court at Gateway Center in College Park" (Press release). Atlanta Dream. October 18, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Atlanta Dream interim head coach Mike Petersen steps down due to health reasons". cbssports.com. CBS. July 24, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. December 9, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "WNBA Transaction". wnba.com. WNBA. January 2, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cheyenne Parker Signs Multi-Year Deal with Atlanta". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tianna Hawkins Inks Multi-Year Deal with Atlanta". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 4, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "fromkurtis Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. February 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  10. ^ "Renee Montgomery Retires From WNBA". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 9, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "Dream Acquire Yvonne Turner From Phoenix". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 13, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Dream Sign Kaela Davis". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 21, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Dream Sign Shatori Walker-Kimbrough". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. February 22, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "Odyssey Sims Signs with Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. March 1, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 17, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  17. ^ "Atlanta Dream's Nicki Collen leaving WNBA to coach Baylor after Kim Mulkey's departure". ESPN.com. ESPN. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Atlanta PR Tweet". Twitter.com. Twitter.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Davis, Pulliam". oursportscentral.com. oursportscentral.com. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  20. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Walker-Kimbrough,Cowling". oursportscentral.com. oursportscentral.com. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  21. ^ "Atlanta Dream Waive Kalani Brown". oursportscentral.com. oursportscentral.com. May 26, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Atlanta Dream Sign WNBA Veteran Candice Dupree". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  23. ^ "Atlanta Dream Bring Back Blake Dietrick". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  24. ^ "Dream's Twitter Account Post". twitter.com. Twitter. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  25. ^ "Team Stats". wnba.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  26. ^ "Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 on July 14". wnba.com. WNBA. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "Sky Guard Dana Evans Named to 2021 WNBA All-Rookie Team". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
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