Rhyne Howard earns WNBA Player of the Week after leading Dream to back-to-back wins

Rhyne Howard is off to another strong start for the Atlanta Dream, and now the WNBA is recognizing it.

The league announced Tuesday that Rhyne Howard was named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played May 18-24 after helping lead Atlanta to wins over Dallas and Phoenix.

It's the fourth Player of the Week award of Howard's career, moving her into second place in franchise history behind only Angel McCoughtry, who won the award 17 times.

Howard averaged 23 points, six rebounds, four assists and 2.5 steals during Atlanta's 2-0 week while shooting better than 50% from the field and from 3-point range. The Dream also held both opponents under 80 points during the stretch.

Against Dallas on May 22, Howard finished with 25 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. She followed that up with 21 points, eight rebounds and six 3-pointers against Phoenix on May 24.

Dream coach Karl Smesko praised Howard after the Dallas game, saying her approach has stood out since training camp.

"Rhy is locked in. She has just an amazing overall game," Smesko said. "This has been a different approach for Rhy from the very beginning of the year. I think we're starting to see what she is capable of becoming."

Teammate Angel Reese also credited Howard's impact on both ends of the floor.

"She can score on all levels and also on the defensive end; she brings an intensity to our team," Reese said. "All-Star caliber player, MVP caliber player."

The Dream will try to keep their momentum going Tuesday night when they face the Minnesota Lynx in Minnesota.