close
close
vestyc

Rebounds, Defense and Strong Motor — Chicago Sky Angel Reese’s Rookie Season Ends with Injury

Posted on by Vaseline

Angel Reese’s record-breaking debut year with the Chicago Sky came to an early end after she announced Saturday that she would miss the remainder of the WNBA season with a wrist injury.

In just 34 games, the 6-foot-3 forward Reese established herself as one of the toughest rebounders the WNBA has ever seen. She set the record for most rebounds in a season, with 446, and also had 26 double-doubles, just shy of Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas’s record of 28 last year.

Reese also had a record-breaking 15-game streak of double-doubles and became the first WNBA player ever to grab 20-plus rebounds in three consecutive games.

Drafted No. 7 overall out of LSU, where she won the 2023 national championship, Reese posed the biggest challenge to Indiana’s Caitlin Clark for rookie of the year. That was largely a testament to Reese’s productivity on the boards and her defense.

The Sky are still in contention for the eighth and final playoff spot, tied with Atlanta and one game ahead of Washington, and Chicago will have to try to finish strong without Reese.

Where does this leave the Sky with six games to go, and how do we judge Reese’s first season? ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel break down Saturday’s announcement.

How would you rate Reese’s debut season?

Voepel: An A. And she earned it. There were WNBA officials who questioned how well she would do at the pro level for a variety of reasons, including her shooting range. But those who believed in her game kept saying that her motor alone was a valuable tool, and it has been. What’s more, her numbers back that up, as she averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds.

Reese’s natural instinct for rebounding, combined with her tirelessness, allowed her to sometimes single-handedly wear down other teams on the boards. She set the single-season record for rebounding in 32 games, breaking the previous record held by Sylvia Fowles of 34 games. Fowles, who retired after the 2022 season, is the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder (4,006), a record Reese could one day break as well.

Her double-double streak showed that her consistency and productivity carried over into the pros, just as it did in college. Additionally, Reese had to deal with a lot of pressure and media attention, as more eyes than ever were on the WNBA this season.

Finally, even though her season ended early, she still played 34 games, which is as long as or longer than any previous WNBA rookie of the year winner except Indiana’s Aliyah Boston last year (40). That’s because the WNBA simply went to a 40-game regular season in 2023.

What impressed you most about her transition to the professional game?

Filippou: Reese’s tenacity and relentlessness are hallmarks of her defensive tenacity and rebounding ability, and are also the same qualities that make her a fierce competitor and someone who constantly wants to get better, never satisfied with where she is. Professional evaluators seemed to underestimate those intangibles, which, combined with her athleticism and skill, have led to Reese’s historic success. It’s been quite remarkable to see her be as dominant on the glass as she has been, while emerging as the rock for her new franchise and dealing with incredible criticism (and racism/hate).

What are you most looking forward to seeing Reese improve on next season?

Philippou: Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon told reporters on Friday that she had recently criticized Reese over her finishing. Critics of Reese may have focused on her struggles finishing around the rim — she shot 39.1 percent from the field as a rookie and 44.5 percent from inside five feet. It was an area she and the Sky were well aware of, and one that Reese will undoubtedly work on in the offseason with Chicago’s player-development-focused staff. Perhaps it’s a positive sign that she shot 9 of 15 from the field in her final game of her freshman year, one of her most efficient games to date. It will also help if the Sky can surround her with stronger guards in the future who can draw out defenders.

Expanding her range will also be on the agenda. Reese added Friday that she worked on her 3-point shot late Thursday night with her coach, and she was relieved to finally sink a trey in the Sparks game after a long drought. She’s shown flashes of hitting shots from outside the paint this season; making it a consistent part of her game, and one she can confidently step into, is the next step.

Can Sky make the play-offs without Reese?

Pelton: Considering Reese has played all 34 games this season, we haven’t seen Chicago without her yet. When Reese has been on the bench, the Sky have been outscored by an incredible 22.3 points per 100 possessions per WNBA Advanced Stats — the worst net rating without a player playing at least 100 minutes.

We certainly shouldn’t count on that lopsided margin to last. Most of those minutes have come with Chicago’s bench on the court instead of starters, and the sample size (256 minutes) is small. But it’s an indication of how important Reese has been as a rookie.

The Sky have struggled since the Olympic break without Marina Mabrey, who was traded to the Connecticut Sun. Both of Chicago’s wins since the break have come against the late Los Angeles Sparks, though getting leading scorer Chennedy Carter back from health and safety protocols was a factor in Friday’s 92-78 victory, the Sky’s largest margin of victory this season.

The win kept Chicago tied with Atlanta for the final WNBA playoff spot at 12-22, but the Dream were favored to claim the No. 8 seed 46 percent of the time, compared to the Sky’s 37 percent, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index before Reese’s absence was factored in. The two teams will face off in Atlanta on Sept. 17 in a game that could determine the eighth seed.