On the broadcast of Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty, ESPN showed Dream head coach Karl Smesko working with Angel Reese on her 3-point shot. They reported Smesko promised Reese that the 3-pointer would become a part of her game.
Atlanta went on to win Game 2 to go up 2-0 over the New York Liberty, putting them one win away from the Finals. They shot 12-for-30 (40 percent) from 3, with Jordin Canada going 3-for-6, Naz Hillmon going 1-for-6 and Reese going 1-for-2.
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None of those players were known as 3-point shooters before Smesko began coaching them.
Canada has been uber-clutch from 3 in the playoffs. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman) | Getty Images
Canada may have attempted and made more 3s per game in 2023 with the Los Angeles Sparks than she did the past two seasons under Smesko, but her marks of 2.8 makes per game and 47.8 percent efficiency in the 2026 playoffs are unprecedented for her—by a long shot.
Meanwhile, Hillmon may have been inefficient on Wednesday, but her 1-for-6 effort in a single game matched the the total number of 3s she took in her three seasons in the WNBA before Smesko arrived in Atlanta last season. In two years under Smesko, she’s fired away 335 regular-season attempts with 105 makes for a decent 31.3 percent clip.
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Of the three, Reese has the longest way to go in the 3-point department. She went from 0.6 attempts per game prior to Smesko to 1.3 attempts per game, but her percentage remained under 20 percent this regular season.
Smesko isn’t about to give up on her, though, just like he hasn’t given up on any of the Dream players who have been working to improve from beyond the arc. He has been rewarded with three made triples from Reese this postseason, which ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Ryan Ruocco continues to refer to as “found money.”
Perhaps what is now found money will become a consistent part of Reese’s game.
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Karl Smesko’s coaching style, from college to the pros, has revolved around the 3-ball
Smesko is known for his philosophy of taking a lot of 3s, and for finding great success with that approach. As the inaugural head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) from 2002-03 to 2023-24, he helped the Eagles transition to Division I in 2007-08 and took them to 10 NCAATournaments, including four second-round appearances. He compiled a 479-91 record (.840 winning percentage) at the Division I level, winning either the ASUN regular-season or conference tournament titles, or both, in 15 out of 17 seasons. During his tenure, the Eagles led the country in made 3s per contest six times and placed in the top 6 all 17 times.
Smesko made a name for himself at FGCU, where he preached 3-pointers. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
When Smesko arrived in the Atlanta in 2025, he was handed a team with one of the highest-volume 3-point shooters in the W in Rhyne Howard. The Dream also had Allisha Gray and drafted a rookie sniper in Te-Hina Paopao, who led the NCAA in 3-point percentage in 2023-24. Those were essentially Smesko’s 3-point shooters. Offseason additions to the team Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner, both bigs, didn’t have a history of shooting a lot of 3s, but there was speculation that Smesko might try to convert them.
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After a preseason game against the Washington Mystics, he indicated that he was working on doing just that. However, as it turned out, Griner didn’t up her volume any higher than her previous career-high. Jones, on the other hand, did increase her volume by a noticeable amount and, unlike Griner, is still on the Dream. She’s currently out for the remainder of the season with a leg injury, but perhaps next year she will continue to work on her 3-point shooting.
The Dream are finally living up to the 3-point hype in the 2026 WNBA playoffs
Howard and Gray both increased their volume under Smesko, with the Dream as a team attempting 28.4 treys per game in 2025, good for second in the league. Their efficiency of 33.7 percent was seventh. However, they failed to crack 32 percent or eight makes in any of their three playoff games, with under 27 percent performances in Games 2 and 3 resulting in losses and first-round elimination at the hands of the Indiana Fever. No. 3-seed Atlanta was 30-14 in the regular season and a heavy favorite to beat Indiana.
In the 2026 regular season, the Dream attempted fewer 3s (27.5; fifth place) and shot a lower percentage (32.5 percent; 11th place). However, Smesko’s vision has come to life over the last three playoff games.
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In the team’s first-round, series-clinching Game 2 win over the Mystics, they shot 13-for-32 (40.6 percent) from downtown. In Game 1 of the semifinals against the Liberty, they went 10-for-26 (38.5 percent). As mentioned, Game 2 saw them go 12-for-30 (40 percent).
Canada, a career 26.2 percent 3-point shooter, shot 4-for-8 in Game 2 of the first round and 4-for-6 in Game 1 of the semis before her 3-for-6 effort on Wednesday. She has been the star of the postseason for Atlanta, and because of all the good vibes and confidence the team is experiencing, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her continue to excel from long-range throughout the remainder of the playoffs.
Canada’s teammates are fired up for her. (Photo by Joe Boatman) | NBAE via Getty Images
As our editor-in-chief, Cat Ariail, has written about, the Dream’s defense has been a big part of the run they’ve been on. But so too has the 3-point shooting, and Smesko’s fingerprints are all over that.
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Smesko has perfectly balanced his philosophies with his players’ strengths
After that preseason game in DC in 2025, Smesko also made a point about how he didn’t want to detract from Griner’s and Jones’ inside scoring abilities.
And when it came time for Dream general manager Dan Padover to ask for his input on the 2026 roster, Smesko wanted to keep Jones, Canada and Hillmon, despite them not being great 3-point shooters. He was also thrilled when Padover brought up adding Reese. (An aging Griner signed with the Connecticut Sun in free agency.)
Jones is one of the best inside scorers in the league, and Hillmon is a hustle player who likewise is great in the paint, as she proven when putting up big numbers in college at Michigan—including a 50-piece. Meanwhile, Reese is the W’s rebounding queen, and Canada is perhaps the league’s fastest player and among its top distributors.
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Smesko has been given a team that is talented in so many areas besides 3-point shooting. He has valued these talents, and, instead of replacing the core group, he has tried to add a new skill to their repertoires.
If he can turn Reese and Jones into higher-volume 3-point-shooting posts like he did with Hillmon, and continue to empower Canada to be confident in her shot, watch out.
Even without Jones, and with Reese only shooting occasional 3s, they could win the championship this year. Canada, Isobel Borlase and late-season addition DeWanna Bonner have stepped up to fill the 3-point void left by Gray, who missed part of Game 1 and all of Game 2 vs. New York with a hand injury. Gray is questionable for Game 3 Friday night.
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The Dream are on the doorstep of their first Finals appearance since the days of Angel McCoughtry, and have all the momentum working in their favor thanks in part to the level of 3-point prowess they’ve already achieved.
