Angel Reese's Finishing Ability Called Into Question by Viral Post
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese has exceeded expectations in her first WNBA season.
Reese's 4.7 offensive rebounds per game currently leads the WNBA by a wide margin (Reese's Sky teammate Kamilla Cardoso is second in the league in offensive rebounds per game, with 3.3).
The former LSU Tiger is also second in the WNBA in overall rebounds per game (just behind MVP frontrunner A'ja Wilson), set the record for most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history with 15, and plays with a tenacity and grit that has proven invaluable for the Sky.
That said, if there's one aspect of Reese's game that could improve, it's her finishing ability.
This was brought to light by a viral X post on Monday that featured an eight-and-a-half-minute clip of Reese missing layups during her rookie season.
The post is captioned, "Angel Reese missed layups but they get increasingly more ridiculous," and already has over 2.4 million X views in less than 12 hours.
Angel Reese missed layups but they get increasingly more ridiculous pic.twitter.com/qf5Ob4RDkU
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) August 13, 2024
The video notes that Reese is currently shooting 40.2% from the field, below 50% on shots less than five feet from the basket, and 13% on shots 5-9 feet away from the basket.
While these stats (which aren't cited in the video) could be true, they also aren't as "atrocious" as the viral video would make it seem.
Basketball Reference shows that Reese is shooting 52.6% from 0-3 feet this season. While that isn't a good percentage, there are currently 22 WNBA players shooting at a worse clip from that range this season; two of which are Reese's fellow WNBA All-Stars Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale.
Of course, Reese being compared to Loyd and Ogunbowale isn't completely fair, given that Reese is a forward and those two players are guards. But there are also seven forwards in the WNBA with a worse field goal percentage from 0-3 feet than Reese.
So while it's certainly true that Reese's finishing ability has some room for improvement, that one aspect of her game doesn't deter from the awesome success she has had since entering the WNBA.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.