Since arriving in the WNBA in 2024 as the 7th overall pick for the Chicago Sky, no player has averaged more rebounds per game than Angel Reese with 12.8 per game. Reese is second in total rebounds since her rookie season with 880 in 69 games, just behind four time MVP\u00a0A’ja Wilson, who has 901 but in 15 more games.<\/p>\n
Before this season started, a surprising trade shocked the league when the Sky traded Reese to the Atlanta Dream for a 2027 and 2028 first-round pick, along with a 2028 second-round pick swap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The trade has been good for Atlanta as they are at the top of the standings and the only team with just one loss with a 4-1 record, with Reese being one of just four players averaging a double-double with 12.8 PPG and dominating the paint, leading the league with 11.4 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n
Scrutinizing the Efficiency: Shooting Numbers Under the Spotlight<\/p>\n
While Reese’s paint dominance in rebounds is innegable, her field goal percentage is also something notable, and not in a good way, because right now she is currently the only starter in the whole WNBA who hasn\u2019t made a shot past 5 feet, going 0-7. She has an overall field goal percentage of .407%, scoring 22 of her 54 attempts so far.<\/p>\n
We know she lives in the paint, because that is what she does best, so almost all of her shots come within 5 feet of the basket, but that is where she needs to get better to improve her game and help her team in the season.<\/p>\n
Developing a more consistent touch in the paint and expanding her scoring range remain the primary hurdles in her evolution as an offensive threat. If Reese can refine her finishing around the rim and improve her efficiency on those high-frequency shots, her impact on the Dream\u2019s offense would reach an elite level, perfectly complementing her relentless ability to secure extra possessions.<\/p>\n
Atlanta’s Roster and Playoff Outlook<\/p>\n
Joining a roster anchored by established stars like Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray has fundamentally changed Reese\u2019s role. No longer the sole focal point of an offense as she often was in Chicago, Reese is now a vital piece of a balanced, high-performing system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Playing under the guidance of head coach Karl Smesko, who helped Atlanta achieve a franchise-best 30 wins last season, Reese is finally positioned to compete for the WNBA playoffs.<\/p>\n
Staying healthy is the final piece of the puzzle for the 23-year-old star; having missed time in previous seasons, her availability is crucial for the Dream\u2019s playoff push. As the team hits the road this week for a matchup against Minnesota and their first-ever meeting with the expansion Portland Fire, all eyes will be on how Reese continues to integrate into a winning culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since arriving in the WNBA in 2024 as the 7th overall pick for the Chicago Sky, no player…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666899,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-666898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}