Rhyne Howard already is making her mark on the WNBA, putting on a dominant performance in her preseason debut for the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
The 2022 No. 1 overall draft pick helped the Dream to an 88-69 preseason win over the Mystics. She scored 15 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc.
Howard also added five rebounds, two steals and one assist for a comprehensive inaugural showing with Atlanta.
No. 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard was all smiles in her preseason WNBA debut 😀 🏀 15 Pts🏀 5 Reb🏀 3-5 3-PT FG pic.twitter.com/o8W6ReApaS— espnW (@espnW) April 24, 2022
No. 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard was all smiles in her preseason WNBA debut 😀 🏀 15 Pts🏀 5 Reb🏀 3-5 3-PT FG pic.twitter.com/o8W6ReApaS
The rookie enters the league after averaging 20.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during her senior season with Kentucky. She led the Wildcats to an SEC tournament title.
Howard joins an Atlanta Dream team that finished the 2021 regular season with an 8-24 record, the second-worst in the WNBA. After drafting Howard and Michigan star Naz Hillmon and bringing on a new coach in Tanisha Wright, Atlanta aims to rebuild and become a contender.
New signee Kristy Wallace also dazzled for the Dream. She scored a game-high 17 points, sinking both of her attempted three-pointers while shooting 77.8 percent from the field.
Atlanta will take on the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday in their next preseason contest.