Sam Cassell Overjoyed at Angel Reese's Shift From 'Lazy' High School Days to WNBA
Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese caught a lot of people by surprise this season.
While the 22-year-old former LSU Tigers standout had an elite college career, much of the women's basketball community wasn't sure how well her game would translate from the NCAA to the WNBA. She was clearly a gifted rebounder, but the biggest unknown is what Reese's scoring would be like in professional basketball.
Suffice it to say, Reese proved any doubters and detractors wrong in her first WNBA season, as she averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. Much of this success was owed to her gritty, aggressive, and unrelenting play style, which exemplifies her elite work ethic.
However, Sam Cassell made it seem like Reese didn't always have this same work ethic on the court during his October 11 appearance on the Mark Jackson Show.
When speaking about Reese, Cassell — who played 15 seasons in the NBA, won three NBA titles, and is now an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics — said, "Seeing her now play the game of basketball, I thought she was so lazy in high school. She was so much better than everyone else. Sometimes she would miss a layup, get the rebound, miss another layup.
"Another team would get the ball and she wouldn't run down the court," Cassell continued. "So seeing her playing in the WNBA right now, it just brings joy to me."
Former NBA player Sam Cassell giving Angel Reese her flowers while also calling her “so lazy” in high school pic.twitter.com/OIYij6Tyrl
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) October 14, 2024
Reese could still use some improvement on her efficiency when shooting layups. But anybody who watched Reese in the WNBA season could not accurately claim that she is still lazy.
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.