Angel Reese’s WNBA All-Star Case Punctuated by Player of the Week Honors

After a slow start to the season where she shot just 30% from the field through seven games, Reese has really turned it on in recent weeks. In the last nine games, she's posted a stat line of 15.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Reese finished seventh amongst forwards in All-Star voting, just one place away from becoming a starter. She’ll likely be selected by the league’s coaches to be an All-Star reserve later this month in Indianapolis.

So what’s changed for Reese lately? It’s not just one thing, but Reese has finally begun to put the ball in the basket after her earlier struggles from the field. 

“I went through a storm in the first eight games where I couldn’t finish. It was frustrating,” Reese said following the Sky’s 92-85 win over the Sparks on Sunday. “But I trusted my work, and my teammates trusted my work. Finally coming through and finally finishing efficiently, it’s leading to wins for us.”

Reese has shot 49% from the field across the last three games and 47% across the last nine. Even when Reese was shooting poorly, her off-the-charts rebounding ability already made her a unique and effective player down low.

Now that Reese is making her shots on a more consistent basis, her game has elevated to a whole new level. That’s not the only improvement we’ve seen from Reese recently. Her passing and decision making have also gotten much better. 

Reese is averaging 3.8 assists this year compared to 1.9 last year. She looks confident with the ball in her hands not just in the paint but in transition as well. And in situations where she snags a much-discussed offensive rebound, Reese has started to kick the ball out to the Sky’s guards on the perimeter for open looks from three instead of forcing up a heavily contested shot.

“A lot of times when I got the rebound last year, and maybe one game this year, I would go right back up with three people around me,” Reese explained. “Now, we have amazing shooters where I can just kick it out and they make the three. That’s why I had seven assists.”

It’s no surprise that Reese’s resurgence has improved the Sky as a whole after such a rocky start to the season. They’ve won two out of three to improve to 5-11 on the year. They’re still six games under .500, but considering how disjointed the team looked not long ago, this stretch is a welcome change of pace for Chicago fans.

Sky head coach Tyler Marsh spoke incredibly highly of Reese’s play following the victory over the Sparks. 

“Her ability to be in every area of the floor tonight and the last few games have had such an impact on us,” Marsh said. “You can’t say enough… you can get caught up in the numbers and rightfully so because they’re amazing. But it’s little things that she does as well that don’t get noticed.”

“Her ability to relieve pressure while handling [the ball], her ability to push it in transition, her ability to initiate offense, obviously her rebounding. She does everything, and she’s capable of doing everything nightly… she’s thriving right now.”

Reese arrived in Chicago last year alongside fellow first-round pick Kamilla Cardoso. Both tall, physical forwards, the Sky have frequently deployed a double-big look to try to get the most out of their two young stars. While Cardoso has been away from the team for the last two games representing Brazil at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, Reese has been especially effective.

That’s not to say Reese and Cardoso can’t be effective together. Just last Tuesday against the Sparks, Reese and Cardoso dominated with 18 and 27 points respectively and 24 rebounds between the two of them. But they haven’t proven to be a reliable pair on a consistent basis just yet. Once Cardoso returns, it will be very interesting to see if Marsh is able to get the best out of both of them regularly. 

For now, Reese’s All-Star case is now in the hands of the league’s head coaches, who have the sole responsibility of selecting the reserves. Reese has proven across this recent stretch that she's much more than just an elite rebounder; she's borderline unstoppable when everything's clicking.

If this Player of the Week award and her overall play recently is any indicator, Reese should be a major part of the All-Star festivities in Indianapolis on July 19th.