With the Connecticut Sun being the best team in the league, it’s fitting to give love to their best players in All-Star voting. And since the team is first in defensive rating and opponent points per game, why not devote one of those precious backcourt votes to an early candidate for both the Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year awards? DiJonai Carrington.

The 26-year-old put the league on notice on opening day, playing lockdown defense on Caitlin Clark, forcing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft to miss shots and commit turnovers, spoiling her WNBA debut in the process. During the rematch between the two teams, Carrington again played elite defense, but was also able to score 22 points on Clark, making use of her athleticism and strength.

After her team beat the Washington Mystics in the second contest of the season, Carrington explained in a simple and humble way how she became so good on the defensive end:

I had to figure out a way to get on the court and the way I figured out to get on the court was to be a lockdown defender. I was with Briann January, Jasmine Thomas, Alyssa Thomas, three of the all-time best defenders in WNBA history … If you want to play, you’ll find a way to get on the court.

And while the games against the Indiana Fever gave her the recognition she deserves, Carrington enjoyed other stellar defensive performances this season. On May 28, the Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper, who is third in the league in scoring, scored just seven points on 2-for-11 shooting when guarded by Carrington. On June 2, she limited Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting. And on June 15, she kept the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale, the league’s second-leading scorer, to 11 points on 2-for-15 shooting.

Offensively, Carrington is a fastbreak machine, rushing to the basket and crashing into the interior after a turnover that she most likely forced. Her 3-point shooting isn’t there yet, maybe it never will be, but she’s more efficient and more confident than ever with the ball in her hands. Her 12.5 points per game average is only bested by her collegiate averages from her junior year at Stanford and senior year at Baylor, but she’s playing with a level of maturity that’s beyond comparison to her previous years.

Without her, the Sun don’t open the season 12-1. There’s a lot of competition in the backcourt, so chances are that Carrington may not earn an All-Star spot. But that doesn’t mean that she’s not worthy of it.

USA Basketball announced today the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s National Team, which will compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024. The team is highlighted by 12 athletes with extensive USA Basketball experience including Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), who will make a record sixth straight Olympic appearance, and nine athletes who have already earned at least one Olympic gold medal.

In addition to Taurasi, the 2024 USA Women’s National Team includes Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces).

The squad has a combined 15 Olympic gold medals, 18 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles and 55 WNBA All-Star appearances. The team also boasts eight WNBA champions, three WNBA MVPs and five WNBA Rookies of the Year. For just the second time in history of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team program, every member of the Olympic Team has either an Olympic or World Cup gold medal (2012).

“On behalf of USA Basketball, I’m excited to announce the 2024 USA Women’s National Team,” said USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee chair Jen Rizzotti. “We have selected a team that we are confident will represent our country to the highest standard in Paris. Basketball in the United States boasts unparalleled depth, making this a challenging and competitive process. The commitment these athletes have shown to USA Basketball is unmatched and I look forward to watching them take on the World in Paris.”

Taurasi, who is a five-time Olympian, has played more games than any other women’s player in USA Basketball Olympic history (38) and is second in points scored (414), trailing only Lisa Leslie (488).

Collier, Gray, Griner, Loyd, Stewart, Taurasi and Wilson all return to the 2024 squad after a 6-0 run toward a gold medal in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympic Games. That year, Wilson and Griner led the team with 16.5 points per game, with Stewart leading the team with 10.0 rebounds per game, while also contributing 15.0 points per game. Griner and Stewart, along with Taurasi, won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Plum and Young won gold in Tokyo as members of the USA 3×3 Women’s National Team. The duo was part of a tandem that went 8-1 en route to claiming the sport’s first Olympic gold medal.

Copper, Gray, Ionescu, Loyd, Plum, Stewart, Thomas and Wilson were all members of the 2022 USA Women’s National Team, which captured its 11^th World Cup gold medal in Sydney. The World title also qualified the USA for the Paris Games.

The team was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors. In addition to Rizzotti, the committee includes Dawn Staley (University of South Carolina), Bethany Donaphin (WNBA) and Dan Padover (Atlanta Dream), as well as athlete representatives Seimone Augustus and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

USA Women’s National Team head coach Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) will be assisted by Kara Lawson (Duke University), Joni Taylor (Texas A&M University) and Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics). The coaching staff, who together led the USA to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee.

Additionally, Curt Miller (Los Angeles Sparks) and Tanisha Wright (Atlanta Dream) will be supporting the team as scouts. Both Miller and Wright have been past court coaches for the USA Women’s National Team training camps, and Miller was an assistant coach at the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament and for the USA’s college exhibition wins last fall.

“This roster features some of the best basketball talent our country has to offer and I’m excited to lead this team with the goal of winning an eighth straight Olympic gold medal in Paris,” said Reeve. “I’m looking forward to getting together in Phoenix and starting the journey to Paris.”

In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams in Paris, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3×3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3×3 women, with 3×3 men set to make their Olympic debut this summer.

“With the announcement of our final national team, USA Basketball is poised to begin our quest for four Olympic gold medals this summer in Paris as the first country to ever qualify a quartet of basketball teams for the Games,” said USA Basketball chairperson Martin Dempsey. “I’m excited to support all four teams and I’m especially proud of the USA Women’s National Team as they seek an unprecedented eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. These 32 Olympic basketball athletes are great representatives of our country and I’m looking forward to cheering them on.”

The USA women will hold training camp in Phoenix before competing against the WNBA All-Stars in the league’s All-Star Game on Saturday, July 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC). The team will then travel to London to play the German Women’s National Team at O2 Arena on July 23 at 3 p.m. ET (FS1), as part of the 2024 USA Basketball Showcase. For more information, including how to buy tickets, click here.

The USA women are seeking their eighth straight– and 10th overall – Olympic gold medal.

The American women open group play against Japan on July 29 (3:00 p.m. ET), followed by Belgium on Aug. 1 (3:00 p.m. ET) and Germany on Aug. 4 (11:15 a.m. ET). The U.S. has a combined 29-2 overall record against its Group C opponents. This is the second straight Olympics USA is grouped with Japan and marks the first time the U.S. will face Belgium and Germany at the Games.

• USA Basketball press release

On Sunday, the Atlanta Dream (6-6) avoided an ignominious three-game losing streak, responding to losses to the Washington Mystics (2-12) and Indiana Fever (5-10) with a victory over the Los Angeles Sparks (4-10). Atlanta will have the opportunity to avenge their loss to Indiana on Friday, hosting the Fever at State Farm Arena (7:30 p.m. ET, ION). First, they hit the road on Wednesday to meet the Minnesota Lynx (11-3) for the second time this season (8 p.m. ET, LeaguePass). The first matchup was a resounding Lynx win in Atlanta.

Before this next set of games, let’s take a look at the Dream’s lineup combinations and see what is, and is not, working:

Is Atlanta’s new starting lineup the solution?

Ahead of the Indiana game, head coach Tanisha Wright made a change to the starting lineup, inserting Nia Coffey for Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. On Sunday against LA, Coffey remained in the starting group.

Across 11 games and 88 total minutes, Atlanta’s original staring lineup of Haley Jones, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Tina Charles and Parker-Tyus has a plus-minus of minus-12, with issues on both ends of the floor. The unit registered an offensive rating of 98.9, slightly better than the team’s overall offensive rating but not nearly strong enough for a starting five. The bigger problem was on the defensive end, with their 106.1 defensive rating much worse than the team’s overall defensive rating of 99.8.

That data suggests it was time for Wright to make a change. Although it’s only been two games, Parker-Tyus has thrived coming off the bench. As analysts Angel Gray and Autumn Johnson discussed during the broadcast of the Sparks game, Parker-Tyus expressed how she is more comfortable operating at the 5, as she has more space compared to playing the 4 alongside Charles. Her improved shooting percentages reflect as much. She’s also exhibited more activity in other areas of the game, collecting more boards, assists and steals as a reserve.

However, while Parker-Tyus is now providing more dynamic post play from off the bench, the new starting group also does not seem like the answer. The fivesome of Jones, Gray, Howard, Charles and Coffey has been outscored by 13 points in 39 minutes together across nine games. Their defense has been quite good, evidenced by a defensive rating of 87.7. The offense, in contrast, has been a disaster, with an anemic offensive rating of 73.4. That’s not terribly surprising, as Jones is a hesitant shooter and Coffey has become painfully reluctant on the offensive end. Opponents, therefore, can load up on Gray, Howard and Charles, further gumming up Atlanta’s often sticky and stilted offensive process.

What lineups are working for Atlanta?

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

The Dream’s lack of a solid starting five again points to the importance of Jordin Canada, the team’s headlining offseason addition and starting point guard who remains sidelined with a hand injury.

Thus far, Atlanta’s best lineup does not feature a traditional primary ball handler. The quintet of Gray, Howard, Charles, Naz Hillmon and Aerial Powers is a plus-14 in 13 total minutes of shared court time. While the sample size is small, it’s a lineup that makes sense, as the team’s three stars are surrounded by two players who know their roles. Powers pulsates with often frenetic energy, with her willingness to fearlessly fire away a needed trait for a team that can suffer through scoring droughts. And although she is prone to some poor defensive decisions, those often are born out of an eagerness to make something happen. Hillmon’s more measured efforts balance out Powers’ livewire stylings. She’s a consummate connective player, supporting her starrier teammates by doing the little things that contribute to winning.

Another promising lineup sees Crystal Dangerfield replace Powers alongside Gray, Howard, Charles and Hillmon. That grouping has outscored opponents by nine points in 16 minutes. It seems Wright has resisted totally trusting Dangerfield. After playing nearly 28 minutes per game for the Dallas Wings last season, she’s averaging just half that with the Dream, playing 14 minutes and averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 assists per game. While she’s undersized and a below-average shooter for her position, Dangerfield is a competent point guard who knows how to play around stars, as she showed with the Wings last season. Allowing her the opportunity to develop chemistry with her new teammates could help Atlanta avoid its spells of offensive stagnancy.

It will also be exciting to see Canada (eventually) play with the Gray-Howard-Charles-Hillmon quartet. Considering Coffey’s early season struggles, inserting Hillmon into the starting lineup once, if not before, Canada debuts could help the Dream begin to become the best version of themselves.