Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has been a polarizing figure ever since she entered the WNBA. After infamously taking down Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA National Championship game, her fan base grew, as did her critics.
Despite her league-record 13.1 rebounds per game, 2024 WNBA All-Star nod and All-Rookie honor last season, many have felt that there is still another level for Reese to get to. Her strong numbers masked her offensive inefficiency a bit, and considering how many minutes she plays, she needed to clean that up.
Reese just discovered something massive, however, and not only is it helping her own game grow, but she is helping her teammates dramatically and situating Chicago better to win games during the rest of the 2025 WNBA season.
Angel Reese is stepping up for the Chicago Sky
Between this season and last season, Reese's shot attempts per game have dropped off from 12.3 to 9.8, as have her offensive rebounds from 5.1 to 4.8 per contest. However, her assists numbers have risen from 1.9 a night to 3.5, and that is not a coincidence.
This year, and over the last few games especially, Reese has been focusing on kicking the ball out from the paint and looking for shooters on the outside. In the past, her shot attempts and offensive rebound numbers would be driven up by her relentless pursuit of making layups over the trees in the paint, but she has emphasized a new approach, and it is working beautifully.
To begin the year, Reese had four straight contests of 10 or more rebounds, but she was only averaging 2.25 assists per game and the team was 0-4. However, in the last six matchups, Reese has only recorded double-digit rebounds in three games, but she is averaging 4.3 assists per game and the team is 3-3.
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Especially in the absence of Courtney Vandersloot, who tore her ACL last week, someone on the Sky needs to step up as a distributor. In the three games since her season-ending injury, Reese has taken on that role, dishing out 17 assists in three contests.
Reese also recorded a career-high 11 assists in Sunday's win over the Connecticut Sun, which gave the second-year star her first career triple-double. The offense just flowed differently when she took this approach, and she should be able to replicate it even against the league's best teams.
The term "point-forward" should be used sparingly, as it is very rare for a bigger player to truly run the show for their franchise. However, this may be the best approach, not only for the Sky, but for Reese to continue proving her doubters wrong.