Brittney Griner's departure from the Phoenix Mercury is still a shocker. She was a mainstay in the desert for 11 seasons to start her career as she played alongside the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi. But Griner is already fitting right in with her new Atlanta Dream teammates.
Atlanta's primary initiator and do-it-all star Rhyne Howard sang Griner's praises after just their second regular-season game as teammates.
"Having her on the court with me, I get to take a deep breath because she is a force on offense and defense," Howard said to reporters when asked about Griner's impact after a close 91-90 win over the Indiana Fever Tuesday via The 3 Point Conversion. "But she's going through a lot down there, trying to make her job easier just as she's trying to make my job easier. It's just great to have her, I feel like we're going to do a lot of great things this year. So, stay tuned. It's going to get better from here."
Griner signed a one-year deal to join the Dream over the offseason. Through just two games with Atlanta, she's averaging 19.5 points and eight rebounds per game. In her final season with the Mercury last year, she averaged 17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Howard, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, is in her fourth season as the Dream's primary building block. She was named Rookie of the Year in her first season and has already made two All-Star appearances. Last season, she averaged 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. The Dream started their new campaign 1-1 with a thrilling win over the Fever Tuesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 'She's a Force': Dream Star Rhyne Howard Opens Up About Brittney Griner's Impact on Team.