How Brionna Jones found her fit with Atlanta Dream

“[Thomas] was like, ‘Bri, you don’t look like yourself (laughs). Take your time. I know [Coach Miller] is asking for a lot but you can still do you without changing your game totally,’” Jones told The Next.

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Over the next eight years of her WNBA career, Jones became comfortable in Connecticut, playing next to Thomas for her entire Sun career while hooping alongside a core nucleus of Jonquel Jones, Jasmine Thomas and DeWanna Bonner for more than 75% percent of her time in the Constitution State. In that span, Connecticut experienced eight postseason appearances including two trips to the WNBA Finals along with four excursions to the semifinals.

Still, as a 29-year-old veteran, Jones says, “she never wants to remain the same player she was in the past.”

“Evolving my game and growing as a player are exciting,” she told The Next. “Since [Maryland], I’ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Now, for the first time since she was selected No. 8 in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, Jones is playing for a new franchise. She signed with the Atlanta Dream in February as part of the franchise’s trio of offseason acquisitions to continue building into a perennial WNBA championship contender. The Dream have not registered a winning season since 2014, despite earning back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. The Dallas Wings and the eventual 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty swept the Dream in the first rounds of the WNBA playoffs in consecutive years. 

Jones is already changing the trajectory for the Dream this season. Her decision to trade the familiarity of playing in front of thousands of fans inside Mohegan Sun Arena to embracing the energy from the crowd inside Gateway Center Arena aligns with her constant pursuit for greatness and never settling in her craft.

“I’m always challenging myself to get better and to be part of something new,” she told The Next.

Only a little more than a month — if including training camp — into the 2025 season, Jones hasn’t wasted time delivering recipes for success both on and off the court. Earlier in May, the three-time All-Star co-hosted a healthy baking demonstration with chef Jasmine from Eatwell Exchange in Atlanta, allowing the community to engage in personal stories about wellness, food and culture as well as try some of Jones’ flavorful cooking recipes in the kitchen. 

On the hardwood, Jones cooked up four consecutive double-double performances in the Dream’s first six games, and whipped up new career highs in attempted and made 3-pointers (as well as defensive and total rebounds). Currently, she’s averaging 13.7 points while shooting 43.9% from the floor, to go along with 10 rebounds, 2.8 assists and one block in 31.9 minutes per game.

“She’s one of the best players on the floor every night,” Dream forward Naz Hillmon told The Next ahead of the Dream’s 88-82 victory against the Los Angeles Sparks. “She’s thriving in the paint, making threes a part of her game while being prepared for anything a team throws at her. She’s a workhorse.”

Dream guard Allisha Gray agrees: “She’s a top-level scorer,” the two-time All-Star told The Next. “She’s a winner and she learns fast too.”

Jones will play in her seventh game on Friday when the Dream (4-2) face the Seattle Storm (3-2) at Climate Pledge Arena for the team’s second game of an early season, west coast road trip. Riding a three-game win streak — despite injuries to Dream center Brittney Griner and guard Jordin Canada — and learning a new system under first-year Dream coach Karl Smesko, Jones has found comfort in her new home.

“It’s because of the makeup [of players] on this team,” Jones told The Next. “That’s one of the reasons I came [to Atlanta].”

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When the offseason emerged, Jones knew there was a possibility of not playing for the Sun in 2025. Still, Connecticut had become like her second home. 

“I’d been there for so long,” Jones told The Next. “I was comfortable.” 

Connecticut gave the 6’3 forward an opportunity to grow and elevate into the Most Improved Player (2021), the Sixth Woman of the Year (2022) and earn WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2021) recognition. The franchise also rooted for Jones in her journey to return to the court after she ruptured her right Achilles tendon on June 23, 2023, near the end of Connecticut’s road contest against the Storm. 

Yet, she sensed that it was time for a change. All five starters from the Sun’s 2024 team — including Jones, Thomas, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and DeWanna Bonner — found new homes during the offseason as part of the franchise’s massive roster overhaul.

“It was time to withdraw and explore something new,” Jones said during her introductory press conference with the Dream.

When Dream general manager Dan Padover hired Smesko in October, the two envisioned a roster of players that would mesh with Atlanta’s core — Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada — as well taking an “aggressive” approach into free agency to sign “home run” talent for the franchise. After all, Padover was no stranger to upgrading the roster. Since 2022, the Dream have made 10 trades for critical draft picks that include players like Howard (the former No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft), along with Canada and Gray. 

In 2024, the Dream registered the second-worst offensive rating (99.0 points scored per 100 possessions) and 3-point field goal percentage (30.8%), and hovered at the bottom of the league in field goal percentage (45.2%) and assists per game (18.4), according to HerHoopStats. For Smesko’s strategy to succeed — one that incorporates a fast-paced offensive game plan with consistent ball movement, floor spacing, stellar offensive efficiency and a high rate of 3-point shooting — the Dream needed efficient players. 

With elite talent already on the team and a unique coaching philosophy with plans to move up and down the court, Jones — like Griner and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough — hopped on board to begin a new chapter with the Dream.

“The [talent] and pace of play is kind of what drew me to come play in Atlanta,” Jones told The Next. 

And Padover couldn’t be happier.

“Getting the likes of [Bri] Jones, [Brittney Griner] and Shatori [Walker-Kimbrough] to sign here [Atlanta] this offseason is a great testament to the work our organization has done the last few years and the city itself,” Padover told The Next. “It’s a place where people want to be, people want to live and we take a lot of pride in that.”

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Last season, Jones averaged 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game. She finished seventh in the league in two pointers made per 40 minutes, fourth in field goals made in the restricted area and 15th in points per play (1.04), per HerHoopStats. Still, when news broke that the Dream signed two of the most effective scorers and all-around players in the W during free agency, WNBA fans wondered how Jones and Griner would fit into Smesko’s scheme.

Inside CORE4 Athletic Complex, Jones didn’t participate in the first couple days of the Dream’s training camp at the end of April. She earned a few extra days of rest after her return stateside from leading USK Praha to a EuroLeague Women title and claiming the Final Six MVP. But near the sideline in camp, Jones watched her teammates acclimate to Smesko’s techniques and his terminology in real time. While she wasn’t on the court in action, the longtime Florida Gulf Coast coach included her in his breakdowns.

“He’s direct and really a players’ coach,” Jones told The Next. “He would constantly come to the side to make sure I caught on to everything. Knowing what a coach needs and thinks is the best thing a player can ask for.”

It didn’t take long for Jones to show her fit and versatility within Smesko’s scheme. In the Dream’s preseason game on May 10 against the Fever, she demonstrated her ability to dominate around the rim on offense and defense as well as her ability to stretch the floor because of her willingness to shoot from beyond the arc. Late in the first quarter of the contest, Jones connected on a 25-footer from deep off an assist from Howard to notch her first three in a Dream uniform. Jones’ 3-pointer came minutes after Griner converted a trey ball from the top of the key, giving Atlanta its first points of the contest and igniting the crowd of fans inside Gateway Center Arena with a glimpse of what they could expect from her.

Last season, Jones went 2-for-14 from deep, nailing one on June 10 against the Fever and splashing another on July 14 against the Phoenix Mercury. In her Sun career, she converted on 5-for-29. A half dozen games into the season, Jones is 2-for-12 from beyond the arc — both of her threes gracing the nets during the Dream’s 81-76 loss to the Fever in front of a high-energy, sold out crowd inside State Farm Arena.

“I think they [Griner and Jones] have really enjoyed having a little more freedom to be more than just deep post players,” Smesko said.

While Jones’ long-range shooting will remain a work in progress, she’s already on pace to surpass the number of triples she’s made and attempted in a single season of her career. In the meantime, she’s feeling right at home around the rim. She currently leads the Dream and ranks fourth in the W in total rebounds (10.0) and sits third in the league in offensive rebounds (3.5).

“That’s testament to the hard work [she’s put in to be great] because things like this don’t just happen,” Walker-Kimbrough told The Next.

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As a team, Atlanta sits atop the W in total rebounds (39.5), ranks second in offensive rebounds (10.2) — resulting in the third most second chance points per contest (13.2) — and defensive rebounds (29.3) per game.

“This is going to be a good partnership right here,” Griner said on a Zoom call on May 9 about her and Jones teaming up. “We can interchange, pop in or going down low. The other team, you’ve got to pick your poison.”

Atlanta is at the center of a massive growth stage, both on and off the court. The Dream sold all of their tickets to games last season while selling all of their full and half-season ticket memberships entering the 2025 campaign. The franchise has sold out a league-best 24 games in the last two games, according to the team. Even more, The Athletic reported that the Dream are devising plans to create the league’s first “purpose-built stadium” as well as “actively negotiating a new practice facility.” 

And for Jones, she’s thriving on the court and she’s happy to play a role in elevating the Dream to new heights.

“Everything is new,” Jones said. “It’s a lot of great energy and I’m excited to be here.”