Rhyne Howard named Eastern Conference POTW for 2nd straight time, Dream lock up No. 3 seed

by: Zack Geoghegan4 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

Sep 5, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) smiles after shooting a three point shot against the Los Angeles Sparks during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

In the midst of a record-breaking season, Rhyne Howard continues to play the best basketball of her life — and the timing couldn’t be any better, either.

On Friday afternoon, the WNBA announced that Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played September 1-11. It marks the second straight weekly honor for the former Kentucky women’s basketball superstar and the third of her time in the league. Across the final week of the regular season, Howard led the Atlanta Dream to a 5-0 stretch with per-game averages of 22.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep.

Howard’s best performance last week came in a 19-point blowout win over the Los Angeles Sparks, in which she dropped a season-high 37 points and became the first player in WNBA history to drain nine triples in multiple games. She did the same back in June against the Chicago Sky in an 18-point victory.

Your back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week 🏆

Rhyne Howard closed out the regular szn by fueling the @atlantadream to a 5-0 week, putting up 22.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.8 APG.#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/s7txVPApzc
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 12, 2025

Oh, and did I mention Howard has the Dream as a 3-seed sitting on a 30-14 record going into the postseason, the most wins in franchise history? Sorry, it’s tough to keep track of all the accolades… Atlanta will battle the Indiana Fever, which will be without star Caitlin Clark due to injury, in a three-game playoff series beginning this Sunday (Sept. 14) at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Despite having to overcome a minor injury during the middle of the season, Howard, still only 25 years old, has played arguably her best stretch yet as a pro in year four. The former 2022 No. 1 overall pick appeared in 33 games this season, posting per-game averages of 17.5 points, a career-high 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. Her 34.9 minutes per game also ranked as a career-best.

Howard has been a WNBA All-Star three times already in her career, including this season, but she’s yet to make one of the two All-WNBA Teams. She’s put herself in a position to change that with her play down the stretch of the schedule. Her defensive play this season might even land her on an All-Defense Team for the first time, too.

But first, it’s time to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.