Atlanta Dream add Te-Hina Paopao, Taylor Thierry in WNBA Draft

In a Dream offseason that included selecting a new coach in Karl Smesko, a new coaching staff and key acquisitions in the free agency, general manager Dan Padover and Smesko considered Paopao and Thierry as exciting selections who could “compete in training camp,” add perimeter shooting and would fit within Smesko’s dynamic offensive system.

“We think these are two great players from two great programs that can stretch [ the floor] and come in and really compete,” Padover said in a post-draft Zoom news conference.

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Smesko centers his basketball philosophy on precise ball movement, 3-point shooting and efficiency on offense from his longtime coaching days at Florida Gulf Coast. Bringing in Paopao and Thierry for training camp could provide Atlanta with quality depth off the bench in conjunction with Atlanta’s marquee offseason free agent acquisitions in Brittney Griner, Shatori-Walker Kimbrough and Brionna Jones, along with the franchise’s trio of stars in Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada and Allisha Gray.

“We’ve got competitors, good athletes, people that have played on the big stage and been really successful, great shooters, and good all-around basketball players,” Smesko added following the draft.

While most women’s college basketball fans still view Paopao as merely a threat from beyond the arc, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley challenged the 5’9” guard to become more aggressive defensively and assertive as a playmaker offensively during her two years with the Gamecocks.

Paopao showed more glimpses of her skillset as a playmaker this season, improving in ball-screen action as well as adding floaters to her game when attacking the rim. In the 2024-25 campaign, Paopao averaged 9.4 points — the lowest of her five-year college career — but splashed 44.4% — the second-highest mark of her collegiate career — from the field that includes a college-best 52.3% on 2-pointers made and 37% from beyond the arc, according to HerHoopStats. She also averaged 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest.

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The Oceanside, Calif., native also provided the Gamecocks with a sense of calmness in high-pressure situations, something the Dream has lacked at times. Paopao sprayed 87 threes this season — third most in program history — with 14 of them coming in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Prior to her days in a South Carolina uniform, Paopao played three seasons at Oregon, earning All-Pac 12 honors each season and converting 38% of her shots beyond the arc.

“She [Paopao] is more than a shooter,” Smesko said. “She competes on the defensive end, she can handle the ball. Under pressure situations, she’s able to stay calm… and she’s somebody that her teammates really look to. … When they see how she’s reacting, they calm down.”

Thierry spent all four seasons at OSU playing for Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff. The versatile wing plays with efficiency and carries strong defensive inclinations.

The two-time All-Big Ten Second Team selection averaged 10.2 points. 5.2 rebounds while leading the Buckeyes in three-point shooting percentage (46.4) in her final season. Defensively, she averaged 2.3 steals per contest and finished as a semifinalist for the 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. At 6’1”, Thierry brings size, versatility and a high basketball IQ to a franchise that could use additional depth at the guard and forward position when Canada, Howard and Gray are not on the court.

“Taylor had exceptional shooting percentage, exceptional finishing percentage at the rim, and has great length, can guard on the perimeter and has twice as many steals as turnovers,” Smesko said. “That’s a pretty rare thing to find.”

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WNBA training camp begins April 27. Padover believes that the Dream’s roster is filled with players who are “coming together at the right time.” With Smesko leading the charge of a new chapter in Atlanta, the excitement around the franchise will continue to grow.

“We got some people who are coming from other places that want to win,” Padover added. “We’ve got some people that have been here [in Atlanta] that want to take the next step. …We have a lot of people in their careers that want to form a team … they all really want to play for Atlanta. They want to make something electric here in this city.”

The Dream will start the 2025 season on May 16 against the Washington Mystics.