Chicago Sky star Angel Reese will return to action Tuesday against the Seattle Storm. Reese had been dealing with a back injury since the All-Star break and had only appeared in two of the Sky’s games since the season resumed. The Sky went 1-8 without her during that stretch.
Reese returned to practice over the weekend and Sky coach Tyler Marsh said after Monday’s session that she looked “great.”
“She fit right in like she hadn’t missed any time off,” Marsh said. “The chemistry’s still there with her teammates, she picked up on the stuff that we’re doing, picked up on the game plan going into tomorrow. We’ll continue to see how she feels tomorrow at shootaround.”
Reese last played on July 29 during the Sky’s 103-86 loss to the Mystics, and she endured a frustrating night. While she put up 22 points and 13 rebounds, she shot 6 of 16 from the field and was hampered by both foul trouble and back pain.
“It was ugly, ugly for me, but I tried to push through as much as I could for my teammates because I know they need me out there,” Reese said. “When I am out there, I don’t think about an injury. It can happen anyway, anytime. If I’m thinking about it too much, it’s gonna happen again. So, just trying to fight through contact as much as I can and do whatever I can for the team.”
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Marsh said previously Reese’s back tightened up after the loss to the Mystics and that the team had been holding her out as a precautionary measure. There was no reason for the Sky to rush Reese back when they’re 8-25 and eight games out of the final playoff spot with 11 games remaining in the regular season. That would be true with any injury, but especially a back issue.
Reese’s sophomore season has been a roller coaster. She got off to a historically bad start and through her first seven games was shooting a dismal 30.9% from the field, including 16 of 50 (32%) in the restricted area. She gradually improved, though, and on June 15 she recorded her first career triple-double in a win over the Connecticut Sun.
A week later, she recorded the first of 11 consecutive double-doubles. That streak, which made her the first player in league history to have multiple double-double streaks of at least 10 games, is still active. Over her last 11 games, Reese is averaging 16.9 points and 13.1 rebounds on 50.9% shooting.
Reese was named an All-Star for the second time in two seasons on July 6.