Let there be no doubt — Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is already a major player in the WNBA, a candidate for Rookie of the Year along with Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever star to which Reese will be forever linked.
But there have been major questions about Reese's touch around the basket, and those came under particular fire in a sequence that has since gone viral. And not in a good way.
"Reese had 12 points and 22 rebounds in the Chicago Sky's 77-75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night," wrote Steve DelVecchio of Larry Brown Sports. "The 22 rebounds made Reese the only player in WNBA history to record 20 or more rebounds in three consecutive games.
"Of course, the feat would not have been made possible if not for her grabbing four consecutive offensive boards on her own misses late in the fourth quarter."
This is true and it's what led to Reese being mocked on social media.
Angel Reese with 4 offensive rebounds on 1 possession is INSANE pic.twitter.com/mA5bNxF0mD
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) August 25, 2024
Now, Reese deserves credit for not giving up on the play — something those social media tend to forget. It's one thing to miss a shot. It's quite another to hang your head. She is never guilty of the latter.
"Reese eventually got to the free throw line, but she had at least one teammate camped out at the three-point line with a wide-open look," DelVecchio wrote. "There have been several situations like that throughout the season where she has multiple defenders on her and does not look to kick it out to an open teammate. Even if Reese is not intentionally padding her rebounding stats, that is the result."
There are worse things in basketball. Eventually, Reese should get her timing down and her touch shouldn't be an issue as her career advances. The only issue with that, of course, is her rebounding numbers will be down.
