Angel Reese’s record-breaking rookie year with the Chicago Sky ended prematurely when she announced Saturday that she would sit out the remainder of the WNBA season due to a wrist injury.
In just 34 games, the 6-foot-4 forward Reese established herself as one of the most tenacious rebounders the WNBA has ever seen. She set the record for most rebounds in a season, finishing with 446. She also posted 26 double-doubles, just shy of the record set last year by Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas, who had 28 rebounds.
Reese also set a league record of 15 games with a double-double streak and became the first WNBA player to have 20-plus rebounds in three consecutive games.
Reese was drafted No. 7 out of LSU, where she won the 2023 national championship, making her the closest challenger to Indiana’s Caitlin Clark for Rookie of the Year honors, a testament to Reese’s productivity on the boards and her defense.
The Sky are still fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot, tied with Atlanta and one game ahead of Washington. Chicago will have to try to finish strong even without Reese.
Where does Sky stand now with six games to go and how do we rate Reese’s first season? Alexa Philippou, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel from ESPN analyze Saturday’s announcement.
What a year. I never thought the last basket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they’ll see even more in year two lol🥲 Through it all I showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed it… pic.twitter.com/re1X85mWR2
– Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) 8 September 2024
What grade would you give Reese’s rookie season?
Birds: An A. And she earned it. There were WNBA personnel who questioned how well she would perform at the pro level for a variety of reasons, including her shooting range. But those who believed in her game kept saying that her drive alone was a valuable tool, and it was. And her numbers back that up, as she averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds.
Reese’s natural instinct for rebounding combined with her relentlessness allowed her to wear down other teams on the boards at times all by herself. She set the single-season record for most rebounds in 32 games, breaking the previous record set by Sylvia Fowles in 34 games. Fowles, who retired after the 2022 season, is the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder (4,006), a mark Reese may one day break as well.
Her double-double streak showed that she is as consistent and productive in the pros as she was in college. Additionally, Reese has had to deal with a lot of pressure and media attention as the WNBA has received more attention than ever this season.
And even though her season ended early, she still played 34 games, which is at least as many as any previous WNBA Rookie of the Year Award winner except for Indiana’s Aliyah Boston last year (40). That’s because the WNBA just switched to a 40-game regular season in 2023.
What impressed you most about your transition to professional sport?
Philippou: Reese’s tenacity and relentlessness are hallmarks of her defensive stability and rebounding skills, and they are also the same traits that make her a fierce competitor and someone who constantly wants to get better and is never satisfied with what she has accomplished. Pro evaluators seem to have underestimated these intangibles that, combined with her athleticism and skill, have helped Reese achieve historic success. Seeing her be so dominant at the basket while proving to be the rock of her new franchise and facing incredible criticism (and racism/hate) has been quite remarkable.
What improvement are you most looking forward to seeing from Reese next season?
Philippou: On Friday, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon told reporters she’d recently criticized Reese for her finishing ability. Critics of Reese might focus on her struggles finishing at the basket – overall, she hit just 39.1% of her shots from the field and 44.5% from under 5 feet as a rookie. That was an area she and Sky could improve on, and one that Reese will undoubtedly work on with Chicago’s player development-focused staff in the offseason. Perhaps it’s a positive sign that she hit 9 of 15 shots from the field in her final game of her freshman year, one of her most efficient games to date. It will also help if Sky can surround her with tougher defenders in the future who can draw defenders out of the box.
Expanding her shooting range is also on the agenda. Reese added Friday that she worked late into the night with her coach on her three-point shot and was relieved to finally hit a three-pointer in the Sparks game after a long dry spell. She has shown glimpses of hitting shots from outside the basket this season; making that a consistent part of her game that she can step into with confidence is the next step.
Can the Sky make the postseason without Reese?
Pelton: Since Reese has played all 34 games this season, we’ve never seen Chicago without her. When Reese was on the bench, the Sky were outscored by an incredible 22.3 points per 100 possessions, according to WNBA Advanced Stats – the worst net rating without a player who played at least 100 minutes.
We shouldn’t expect that lopsided advantage to last, of course. Chicago spent most of those minutes with the bench rather than regulars on the field, and the sample size (256 minutes) is tiny. But it’s an indication of how important Reese was as a rookie.
The Sky have been struggling since the Olympic break without Marina Mabrey, who left for the Connecticut Sun. Both of Chicago’s wins since the break have come against the last-place Los Angeles Sparks, with the return of top scorer Chennedy Carter after health and safety protocols a factor in Friday’s 92-78 victory, the Sky’s biggest margin of victory all season.
The win puts Chicago in a 12-22 tie with Atlanta for the final WNBA playoff spot, but the Dream have been favorites for the 8th spot 46% of the time, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, while the Sky have been 37% of the time, not counting Reese’s absence. The two teams face off in Atlanta on Sept. 17, a game that could decide the 8th spot.
