Summer could see Atlanta pro teams flip the script into contention

If the first couple of weeks of the schedule are any indication, the Dream will need some time to jell, but once they do, look out. The additions of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones balance the roster and make the Dream more formidable on both ends of the court.

But first-year coach Karl Smesko will have something brewing soon enough. His fast-paced offense will take some getting used to — for both the players and fans — but once everything is more comfortable, the Dream could be one of the surprise teams in the league.

Smesko is still getting used to the WNBA, but more important, WNBA teams are just getting used to his system, which will give the Dream something of an advantage.

They’ve gone 3-2 in the early part of the season, including a split against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, one of the league’s top teams and a likely title contender. Watching the development of rookie Te-Hina Paopao will be fun to watch, as well, along with how Rhyne Howard adjusts to having more talent around her on the roster.

The energy in State Farm Arena for the Fever matchup Thursday was palpable, and the team will build momentum gradually. But they should be in the conversation among the top teams in the league, and right there in the playoff race, when summer turns to fall.

♦ It’s still early, but the Braves are struggling.

The baseball season is about a third of the way done, and the Braves, following a horrid 0-7 start, are hovering around .500. They had an encouraging streak against the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, winning five of seven, but they went 1-4 last week against the Nationals and San Diego Padres, falling back to a losing record at 25-27.

They trail the division-leading Phillies by 8½ games, and if the Braves can get a couple of wins in the road series at Philadelphia, it will be a huge boost — just as getting Ronald Acuña Jr. back in the lineup has provided.

Baseball has the longest season, so a hiccup in the first part of the season doesn’t put a team out of the postseason race — see the 2024 Detroit Tigers — but digging out of an early hole isn’t an optimal strategy either.

One day, it’s the hitting. The next day, it’s the bullpen.

Yeah, that’s baseball.

There’s no point in hand-wringing about it until at least mid-June. Let Acuña and Spencer Strider get a good stretch of games in, then determine what the strategy will be.

One possible area of improvement will be bolstering the bullpen, but then that puts the Braves with half the major leagues, who will be looking to add arms for the stretch run. If there’s a deal that strikes their fancy before then, it might not hurt to kick the tires on some options.

♦ The Falcons will be better this season.

Well, that’s not a hot take, considering the Falcons’ 8-9 record last season that saw them miss the playoffs again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won four straight division titles, and assuming that the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints haven’t gotten markedly better, it’s a two-team race for the division.

The Falcons have strengthened the defense with their two first-round draft picks — edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — but perhaps more important, they have a full offseason of OTAs and training camp knowing that Michael Penix Jr. is their starting quarterback.

That’s a different approach than the Kirk Cousins adventure, so there’s good reason for optimism.

With the NFL schedule release, the Falcons know they’ll have a tough start, with four teams who made the playoffs last season — the Buccaneers, Vikings, Commanders and Bills — in the first five games. The middle of the schedule provides plenty of opportunity to make up ground in the standings, and among the remaining opponents, only the Bucs and Rams made the playoffs.

If they can get through the early part of the schedule without flopping, they’ll have a shot down the stretch.