Seven games into her second WNBA season, Angel Reese’s early production is a far cry from the impact she had during her college days. Reese remains one of the most well-known names in the W, but it isn’t because she’s been dominating her opponents on the court. After an incredibly inefficient rookie campaign, the 23-year-old’s efficiency has somehow managed to take another step back. Reese still can’t get the ball in the hoop consistently — but she sure can rebound.
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Reese’s unmatched offensive woes, combined with her elite rebounding ability, have provided Skip Bayless with a dilemma. The longtime sports media personality discussed her awful performance against the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever, where she posted just four points in a 27-point blowout loss. But he also couldn’t overlook her 12 rebounds, five of which were offensive.
Skip acknowledged the Chicago Sky’s tough loss of veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot, whose absence stunted the team’s offense. But Bayless doesn’t believe this excuses Reese’s putrid shooting numbers, which have become a trend this season.
“Angel looked pretty sorry, as she often does, just being honest,” Bayless admitted. “I mean, as a post player, shooting a lot of point-blank shots at the rim, last year Angel made only 39% of her shots. Huh? Which ranked 50th out of 55 players … And this year, she’s even worse … She’s 30.9% from the floor. That ranks 63rd out of 64 qualified, and a lot of her shots are right around the rim.”
In Skip’s eyes, it’s become clear that Reese will never match Clark’s multifaceted scoring and passing abilities, no matter how badly she wants to play the foil to her career. But there is one area of expertise Reese has the rest of the league’s number in — crashing the glass. No one has been better at corralling boards the last two seasons than Angel.
“Angel Reese is on her way to becoming the greatest rebounder in WNBA history,” Skip stated. “Last season, as a rookie, she shattered the all-time single season rebound record by 42 rebounds. By 42. And she did this at just 6-foot, 3-inches tall.” Meanwhile, there are a handful of taller players who have only snagged a fraction of the boards Reese has over the last two seasons.
“Angel is Rodman-esque. Remember Dennis Rodman? She can anticipate caroms with genius timing,” Bayless credited the Sky star. “This is rare talent that she has for rebounding. She just has a nose for and a heart for the basketball. Just a maniacal desire to outfight and outrebound opponents, especially on the offensive glass.”
Unfortunately for Reese, though, basketball fans aren’t lined out the door to watch her recover her own misses. If that were the case, Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena would have been packed every night to watch Andre Drummond in his prime. Rebounding simply isn’t as flashy or entertaining as other aspects of the game.
“I’m not sure anyone has ever paid to see rebounding,” Skip said after lauding Reese’s self-marketing abilities. “Logo threes and Magic passes? Yeah, they will pay like crazy to watch Caitlin Clark. They’ll pack NBA-sized arenas to watch Caitlin Clark.” Reese’s play style doesn’t exactly attract fans, though, especially when she’s playing poorly.
“If [Angel] can only score four against the Fever without Caitlin, and look laughably bad doing so, you can’t say you’re playing as big of a part in the WNBA’s exploding ratings as Caitlin is. You just can’t say that,” Skip claimed. Angel Reese can still be a star in the WNBA, but she won’t get her props until she adds some touch to her game.
