What Madina Okot’s First WNBA Start Revealed About Her Development

Madina Okot’s first WNBA start was about more than a new name in the Atlanta Dream’s starting lineup. It was an opportunity to evaluate one of the franchise’s most intriguing long-term pieces. With reigning Sixth Woman of the Year Naz Hillmon resting and Bri Jones continuing to recover from injury, the rookie center earned the first start of her WNBA career against a Seattle Storm frontcourt featuring two talented young post players in Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga.

For Dream fans, it was a lineup many had been hoping to see. Since Jones’ injury moved Angel Reese into the starting center role, many fans have called for a frontcourt featuring Okot at center with Reese returning to her natural forward position. Friday night’s matchup offered the first extended look at that combination, creating plenty of anticipation before tipoff.

Although Okot was selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft after transferring to South Carolina, her basketball journey is still remarkably young. The 6-foot-6 rookie has only been playing basketball for the past six years. Through the first 19 games of the season, she has shown flashes of the player Atlanta believes she can become while continuing to adjust to the speed and physicality of the WNBA.

Those flashes have included the first double-double of her WNBA career on May 17 against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and a season-high 19 minutes against Golden State on June 24 where she scored 16 points. However, with an average of 9.6 minutes per game, Okot’s development has largely come in short bursts as she continues to earn opportunities within Atlanta’s rotation.

Head coach Karl Smesko has repeatedly emphasized that the Dream are still finding the right rotation. That process has included several young players off the bench, including Okot, Indya Nivar, Izzy Borlase, Sika Koné, Amy Okonkwo, and Aaliyah Nye.

“I think Madina keeps getting better. She’s still learning, and a lot of this is new to her, but everybody sees her potential. I think she’s just been getting more comfortable each week,” Smesko said.

The Dream head coach also believes the growth extends beyond Okot.

“Izzy has had some huge games for us. I think we’re growing the confidence in the bench,” he said. “I know that our bench doesn’t have a lot of experience, but that’s growing. Now that they get a chance to get more minutes, I think they’ll just get better and more comfortable. Obviously, we’re all looking forward to getting Bri back, and that’ll be a huge addition to us going forward.”

Before the game, Smesko was asked about pairing Reese and Okot together in the frontcourt. While the combination offers Atlanta additional size and rebounding, he acknowledged that the pairing is still very much a work in progress.

“They haven’t played a lot together. We got to be able to maintain our spacing and our movement. Hopefully, both will be involved in screening… behind the defense. Hopefully it’ll be a situation where we won’t be running quite as many plays, and they can just work together, look for each other, and create offense that way,” Smesko said.

His comments proved prophetic. While the pairing gives Atlanta significant size around the basket, Seattle’s frontcourt presented a unique challenge. Fam’s ability to stretch the floor with her perimeter shooting forced Dream post players to defend away from the paint, while Malonga’s length and athleticism made every possession inside difficult.

The opening minutes reflected the adjustment period that often accompanies a young post player’s first WNBA start. Malonga won the opening tip before grabbing an offensive rebound that resulted in a second-chance basket. Okot was also called for two early three-second violations.

At times, Okot appeared hesitant offensively. Rather than immediately attacking the basket, she occasionally relied on multiple moves in the post before attempting a shot, allowing Seattle’s defense time to recover. Combined with Fam’s hot shooting from beyond the arc, which pulled Okot away from the basket defensively, Atlanta quickly adjusted by going to a smaller lineup with Te-Hina Paopao.

Fam caught fire early, scoring nine first-quarter points while shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Okot returned later in the quarter before checking out again with less than two minutes remaining. She finished the opening period with 4:32 of playing time, two rebounds, and two turnovers.

Though her minutes remained limited in the second quarter, Okot found better rhythm offensively, scoring four points in fewer than three minutes of action while Paopao handled much of the workload.

Atlanta again opened the third quarter with a smaller lineup featuring Borlase. Okot checked back into the game at the 6:11 mark, replacing Reese, and converted a cutting layup for two points during her 2:53 on the floor.

Looking for additional size late in the game, the Dream turned to Sika Koné during the fourth quarter, limiting Okot to fewer than two minutes in the final period.

Okot finished her first WNBA start with six points, five rebounds, two turnovers, and shot 2-for-4 from the field in 11:29 of action. While the stat line was modest, it represented another valuable step in her development against one of the league’s talented young frontcourts.

Smesko was encouraged by how his rookie responded after a difficult opening stretch.

“A little bit of a rough start… She has had some really good performances in a row. This time, she got off to a little rough start, but when she got back in, I thought she settled in a little bit,” Smesko said.

“She didn’t get to play a ton of minutes after that because we needed to go a little smaller. But we’re really high on Madina. She’s an excellent player, and she just keeps getting better. We expect big things from her going forward.”

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Okot’s first start wasn’t the box score but the reminder that her development remains ahead of schedule. Unlike many rookies entering the WNBA, she is still learning the nuances of a game she has only played for six years. Every meaningful minute provides another opportunity to refine how she uses her height, strength, footwork, and instincts against some of the best post players in the world.

The Dream still have more than half of the regular season remaining, and Jones is expected to return soon. That return will not only strengthen Atlanta’s frontcourt but also give Okot the opportunity to continue learning alongside a WNBA All-Star. If the progression she has shown through the first 19 games is any indication, the Dream believe her best basketball is still ahead of her.