Chicago Sky Star Had Clear Words for Angel Reese After Snapping Losing Streak

It was only Chicago's second win in its last 15 contests, but one of Reese's teammates praised her following Thursday's tilt.

Reese's Effort Seems to Be Contagious

Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, who is an emerging stud in her own right, said that Reese has motivated her to work hard on the boards.

"I just try to inspire myself after Angel," Cardoso said. "She's a great rebounder, and I try to do the same thing."

Legendary Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley once said, "No rebounds, no rings." Rebounding is a critical aspect of winning basketball, and it is part of winning the possession battle in order to get more possessions than one's opponent, similar to winning the time of possession stat in football.

On Thursday, Chicago was a plus-15 in rebounding against New York. Although the team has a poor 9-26 record, it is second in the WNBA with 35.9 rebounds a game and a 52.3% overall rebounding percentage.

Reese leads everyone in the league with an average of 12.2 rebounds a game, and Cardoso is fifth at 8.4 boards a game.

Reese Has Also Been Steeping Up Her Offensive Game Lately

As a rookie last season, Reese struggled to hit shots. She averaged 13.6 points per game but made an anemic 39.1% of her field-goal attempts.

This season, she has shown a lot of improvement in that department. She is now at a strong 46.2% field-goal percentage, and she has elevated her shooting percentage each month of this season.

Last year, Reese shot a mediocre 73.6% from the free throw line, but she has improved in that area as well, as she has made 79.4% of her foul shots so far this year. This is a critical jump, as she averages 5.2 foul shots a game and is eighth in the WNBA in that category.

The two-time All-Star, who won a women's NCAA championship in 2023 with LSU and the 2024 SEC Player of the Year award, seems to be developing into the franchise-caliber player the Sky have badly needed for a while.