Atlanta Dream Coach Had Strong Words for Brittney Griner Amid Her Playing Situation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 7:06 AM ET

Brittney Griner and the Atlanta Dream pulled off a big win on Friday night. They dominated Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, 100-78, en route to officially booking their spot in the WNBA Playoffs.

After Friday’s victory, the Dream improved to 25-14 on the season and are third in the league. They have joined the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, and the Phoenix Mercury as the first four teams that have clinched playoff berths thus far.

Brittney Griner Comes Off the Bench Again

Griner logged 17 minutes of action in Friday’s win to finish with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, one rebound and two assists. It was an efficient performance for the ten-time All-Star, who once again provided quality minutes for the second unit.

Friday marked Griner’s ninth straight game coming off the bench for Atlanta. She was the Dream’s starting center for the better part of the season, but was demoted to a bench role when she returned from a three-game injury absence in early August.

Griner, who signed with the Dream as a free agent in the offseason, has since been relegated to a bench role. Atlanta has won six out of the nine games with the 34-year-old veteran not in the starting lineup.

Dream Coach Sheds Light on Griner’s Situation

Dream head coach Karl Smesko was asked about Griner’s situation after Friday’s win over Dallas. The rookie shot-caller was non-committal in terms of his plans for the 6-foot-9 center moving forward. Smesko, however, also took the opportunity to give Griner her flowers.

"Everything's always fluid," Smesko said. "We're going to do whatever we think is going to give us the best opportunity to win.

"I thought BG was outstanding today and had great energy, was very physical inside working to get it.

"She's one of the all-time greatest players in the history of the WNBA, and for her to be willing to come off the bench and contribute in this way, I think she knows it's because we're trying to make a championship push. She knows she's a big part of that. She knows what she can do coming in in these situations."

As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Dream has found success with Griner coming off the bench, and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year appears to have no issues with her new role. As such, Smesko seems more than willing to keep Griner with the second unit moving forward.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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