Dream’s Rhyne Howard talks chemistry with Brittney Griner, scuffle with Caitlin Clark and Unrivaled success (EXCLUSIVE)

The box score told one part of the story. Rhyne Howard led the Atlanta Dream to an 88-82 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. For the third consecutive game, however, Howard fell one or two points shy of posting a double-double.

“I’m just trying to get a double-double and a win,” Howard said, laughing. “There have been games back-to-back where I’ve been one shy of a category. But I’m not going in focusing on filling up the stat sheet. I’m just going in focusing on making game-winning plays and being a leader for my team and whatever they need at that moment.”

The games themselves tell another story. Howard has still filled the box score because of different circumstances. She wants to accelerate chemistry with Brittney Griner in their first season together. Howard has assumed more play-making duties to account for Jordin Canada missing the team’s first six games with a right knee injury.

The Dream (4-2) enter Friday’s game against the Seattle Storm (3-2) with Howard averaging 15 points as well as career-highs in rebounds (5.5) and assists (5.0) per game. Atlanta coach Karl Smesko also credited Howard for becoming what he called “an elite wing defender” who “can guard multiple positions.”

“She’s off to a really good start for us in terms of distributing the ball and defending on the other end,” Smesko said. “I’m looking forward to when we get JC back where she doesn’t have to assume so much of the ball-handling opportunities. She’s capable of it, but it’s good when she has a nice balance of being on and off ball so she can showcase everything that she can do.”

Smesko said that the Dream’s medical staff “don’t have an exact timetable” on Canada’s return, but noted that “she is progressing nicely.” After injuring her right knee in the Dream’s preseason win over Washington on May 7, the Dream announced on May 9 that Canada would be sidelined for at least the next two weeks.

Since then, the 25-year-old Howard has managed a larger workload on a career-high 36.2 minutes per game in her fourth WNBA season. That has coincided with Howard averaging career lows in field-goal percentage (30.4%) and 3-point shooting (26.2%). Smesko stressed that those numbers represent a small sample size and overshadow her consistency and increased workload.

“She’s exerting a lot of effort on the defensive end. She’s really competing on that end,” Smesko said. “And then she’s bringing up the ball and getting us into things. Then we’re going to ask her to be an efficient scorer on top of that. It’s just a lot to ask. But there have been several games where she has had three or four shots rim in and out. And as soon as they start falling, we’re going to have a huge game and the efficiency will come with everything else.”

Howard spoke with Sportskeeda about her increased role this season, her chemistry with Griner, her impressions of Unrivaled, recent scuffle with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and social media banter with Lexie Hull.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

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Rhyne Howard Exclusive

How has the chemistry been working out so far with a new coach?

Howard: “I think it’s been really good. Even during the games, we’ve had a back-to-back already, but we’ve still been able to still stay consistent with what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to get. And everybody is still able to stay on the same page. I think that’s been great. We’ve had a couple of injuries and some late subtractions. But everybody has been able to step up and still do well. It wasn’t a drop-off with the people that we brought in. So to have something like that is special.”

You’ve always had an important role. But your responsibilities have gone up with your playmaking. What has been key with being able to add that to your workload?

Howard: “Whenever somebody goes down, you always have to give a little bit more. So playing the point guard position obviously has helped my leadership. But I’m still being able to playmake both on and off the ball. I think that’s really been helpful for our team. I haven’t been scoring a lot, but I’m still making other plays. So we’re still winning by a lot. So it’s like, ‘Does she even have to score a lot?’ Knowing that I can still have a great game offensively. It’ll only be that more dangerous when it all comes together.”

What do think that will look like once everyone is healthy and back?

Howard: (shakes head). “I think they’re going to start calling us a ‘Super Team.’ When we get everybody back, they’re going to be trying to investigate us.”

You and BG are immensely talented. But why has the chemistry worked so well right away?

Howard: “I think just because of our friendship that we’ve had in prior years. Even at Team USA, we always tried to tell her how good it is over here. But having that genuine friendship off the court definitely helps when you’re on the court. It helps knowing what type of player she is, what type of person she is and what type of looks she likes. We’re able to be open with each other about what we’re seeing and what we don’t like from each other.

That goes for everybody as well. Everybody is open to listening. We’re able to speak without it feeling like an argument or going back and forth. We have that respect for each other.”

In what ways do you think you and BG have complemented each other’s games?

Howard: “I think our two-man game is the biggest help because being able to come off the screen and have all the attention, it makes for an easier pass to her. For her to draw the attention on the inside, it makes for open shots for us on the perimeter. To be able to have somebody who is both a great scorer and myself, and also have great passers is great. We’re both very unselfish players. Oftentimes, we both probably hear that we’re a little too unselfish. But being able to have that and the selflessness and want for everybody to be successful is the key.”

What were your impressions of Unrivaled?

Howard: “It was fun. I think everybody getting a chance to see what 3-on-3 is like was very beneficial. It was a little more 5-on-5 technique because there was a full court and timeouts. But the physicality is still the same. To be able to have the physical game in 3-on-3 and bring it to 5-on-5 helps with the mental aspect and the physical energy to have and maintain. I think that’s been helpful, not just for me, but for everybody.”

What were your impressions of the setup?

Howard: “I think it was fun. Obviously, a lot of people call it ‘summer camp.’ Everybody is down there making TikTok’s and just having fun. It was good to still be able to do the thing that you love, while still staying at home and being able to see the people that you love.”

You’ve been coaching at Florida. How did that evolve given your schedule with ‘Unrivaled’?

Howard: “I did the first half of the season and then I went to Miami, I was a little more off. But that was my last year. I won’t be coaching again next year.”

Will you be at Unrivaled again next year?

Howard: “Yeah.”

What do you make of the physicality you had with the Fever and the exchange you had with Caitlin?

Howard: “I’m coming. Your goal on defense is not to let your opponent score and not let them get easy looks. It happened to be with her, but it could happen with anybody, just with the way I’m approaching the defensive side of the ball. So it’s nothing there. It wasn’t anything negative. I was just trying to do my job.”

You and Lexie [Hull] had some fun trash talk on IG. What sparked that?

Howard: “We’ve always been pretty good friends. But definitely at ‘Unrivaled,’ it made our friendships become stronger. Even after ‘Unrivaled,’ I had gone to Indy and spent time with her and hung out. Our friendship, we’re always going to be close. So to be able to joke with her and post on Instagram and put her on there, it gives people a look that we actually are friends. People can still be friends and go at each other on the court. “

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.