New faces are coming to the Atlanta Dream this upcoming season.
The team had the twelfth pick in this year’s highly anticipated WNBA Draft, and they used their best pick to land nineteen-year-old Nyadiew Puoch, an Australian basketball star who’s poised to improve the Dream’s overall performance next season.
Welcome @nyadiew_puoch! #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/8UpqyPaekD
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 16, 2024
She previously played for the Women’s National Basketball League’s Southside Flyers, where in the 2023-24 season she averaged 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.4 steals, and had a three-point shooting average of 28.9%.
“They’re getting one of the highest upside players in the WNBA”, said Sammy Wloszczowski, a basketball agent in an interview with ESPN, on what Atlanta was getting with Puoch. “[Her] combination of athleticism, length, skill, basketball IQ, and the fact that she is 19, she projects as having as much upside as anyone in the WNBA draft.”
Welcome Isobel Borlase! #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/u66eRQXKaQ
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 16, 2024
Atlanta selected for their number 20 draft pick another Australian, Isobel Borlase. Also like Puoch, she’s 19 and previously with the WNBL. She averaged 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 steals. Her three-point shooting average was 27.5%.
Welcome Matilde Villa! #DoItForTheDream pic.twitter.com/m5rIUngHtO
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 16, 2024
The Dream selected as their #42 pick, Matilde Villa. She is also 19 years old and is 5 ft 7. She was previously a guard for the Umana Reyer Venezia in EuroCup Women.
Puoch, Borlase, and Villa were part of a very high-profile WNBA Draft class this year that included Iowa Hawkeyes phenom Caitlin Clark, who was drafted to the Indiana Fever as their #1 pick. Stanford’s Cameron Brink joined the Los Angeles Sparks at #2. Angel Reese formerly of the LSU Tigers, was drafted to Chicago Sky at #7.
The Atlanta Dream’s 2024 season kicks off May 15, when they play the Sparks. They face Reese and the Sky June 8th, and Clark and the Fever at home June 21.
