Allisha Gray and Madina Okot Heat Up in Atlanta — But an Angel Reese Injury Could Reshape the Dream’s Rotation

Injuries hit the former Gamecocks last week, but Allisha Gray and Madina Okot turned their games up in Atlanta as the Dream rattled off a three-game winning streak. With the All-Star break running July 23-27, this week’s slate is light — making it a good moment to take stock of how South Carolina’s WNBA alumnae are trending heading into the break.

Atlanta’s stars carry a winning streak, even as cracks show

Allisha Gray delivered one of her best weeks of the season, highlighted by a 29-point, 6-rebound, 3-assist outburst in a 93-91 win over Chicago, sandwiched between a 20-point effort against Los Angeles and an 18-point night at Toronto. Across the three-game stretch, Gray is averaging 19.1 points per game on the season — an All-Star-caliber number that’s only trending upward.

Madina Okot’s week was arguably even more efficient on a per-minute basis. She scored 9 points in just 10 minutes against Los Angeles and then exploded for 14 points in 11 minutes against Chicago — meaning she nearly matched her total minutes with total points across the week (25 points on roughly 25 minutes played). She’s now shooting 60.9% from the field on the season, a mark that ranks second in the entire league.

That efficiency is exactly what makes Atlanta’s usage of her such a notable storyline. Despite ranking second in the WNBA in field goal percentage, Okot remains buried in a limited role, averaging just 9.8 minutes per game across 26 appearances with only two starts. A three-game winning streak has papered over some underlying issues — Atlanta’s once-stout defense has been struggling, and head coach Karl Smesko’s continued inability to find a consistent role for one of the league’s most efficient scorers stands out as the clearest example of that broader tension.

The injury that could change everything

The biggest development for Atlanta wasn’t a box score line at all — it was Angel Reese suffering a knee injury on Sunday. Given how thin Atlanta’s frontcourt minutes have been for Okot specifically, Reese’s absence could be the exact opening that finally forces an expanded role for her. It’s a notable irony: the clearest path to more playing time for Atlanta’s most efficient shooter may come not from a coaching adjustment, but from a teammate’s misfortune.

Chicago’s Cardoso continues to battle through pain

Kamilla Cardoso sat out Chicago’s win over Seattle with a right knee issue, but returned to post a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) in a win over Los Angeles before nearly upsetting Atlanta with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Playing through a compromised knee and still producing at a near-double-double pace across two of three games is a meaningful sign of both her toughness and her continued value to a Chicago team still working to climb back toward .500 at 9-17.

Golden State’s Amihere: steady, unspectacular, essential

Laeticia Amihere remains difficult to write much new about — not because she isn’t producing, but because her production is defined by its sheer consistency. Golden State continues to win as a team built on tough nightly defense and just enough offensive execution, and Amihere embodies that identity individually: modest counting stats (2 points, 5 rebounds across her two games last week) that undersell her actual defensive impact and rebounding effort on a 19-7 team that ranks among the WNBA’s best.

Indiana’s crowded backcourt keeps shifting

Aliyah Boston remains one of the league’s most complete bigs, posting 15 points and 7 rebounds in two of her three outings while missing one game with a lower-leg issue. She’s now up to second in the WNBA in three-point shooting — a continued signal that her offensive game has genuinely expanded beyond her post-scoring roots.

The more interesting subplot in Indiana belongs to the point guard rotation. Tyasha Harris’ midseason resurgence has continued, culminating in an 11-point, 4-assist performance against New York — but that continued production is coming directly at Raven Johnson’s expense. Johnson has been reduced to single-digit minutes across all three games last week, a complete reversal from earlier in the season when she was the emerging piece of Indiana’s backcourt. That kind of role reversal — Harris now getting nearly all of the backup point guard minutes — suggests Indiana’s coaching staff has settled on a hierarchy, at least for now, that looks nothing like where the season started.

Portland and Seattle: settling into difficult seasons

Sania Feagin’s season remains over after her left ACL tear, confirmed July 9, leaving Portland without a developmental piece for the remainder of the year. In Seattle, Zia Cooke’s minutes have dipped slightly as first-round pick Flau’jae Johnson continues finding her footing as a starter — a natural, expected shift as Seattle looks toward developing its younger core during a lost season at 6-21.

What to watch this week

With the All-Star break approaching, the schedule is sparse. Las Vegas plays twice before the break, and given A’ja Wilson’s recent ankle injury, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Aces’ All-Stars — Wilson included — sit out the exhibition itself. Elsewhere, the headline storyline to track is Atlanta’s frontcourt: whether Reese’s knee injury opens real, sustained minutes for Okot, or whether Atlanta’s staff finds another way to fill the gap without addressing what has been the most efficient scorer on the roster all season.