Angel Reese leveled up

The pressure was on Angel Reese from the jump.

After LSU won the NCAA women's basketball championship in 2023, the Chicago Sky selected Reese with the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft a year later. The media immediately instigated, putting her head-to-head with the top players in her class, such as Caitlin Clark, Rickea Jackson, and Aaliyah Edwards. In a draft class of that caliber, the need to show out became almost immediate.

Reese’s offensive rebounding has always been there. She has led the WNBA in offensive boards per game all three years she has been in the league. Her rebounding stood out since day one. However, in her third year in the league, the 6’4” forward has gone from a good player to a great player. So, what changed? How is Reese now the only player in WNBA history to average 16+ points and 12+ rebounds in a season?

First, she started finishing at the rim. Throughout her first three years, Reese's field goal percentage increased from 40% to 47.8% to .48.1% while her scoring rate rose simultaneously. Reese also made more trips to the free-throw line this year. She went from making 131 free throws her rookie year to 194 this time around. Her efficiency rose, and the added volume only made her more dangerous.

Second, her availability rose. After just playing 30 and 34 games in her first two seasons, Reese played 43 out of the 44 games in the 2026 regular season. Her minutes increased from 947 in 2025 to 1,336 this year, a 41% jump in floor time. 521 rebounds and 32 double-doubles contribute to the fact that she kept showing up on the longest schedule the league has run. Her per-game and rate numbers hold up independently, so while she did play a lot more, she took advantage of that to continue to improve her game.

Third, sometimes a fresh start can only benefit you. Across the first two years, Reese played on a Chicago team that went 21-43. Since the trade to the Atlanta Dream, the team has gone 30-13 and has now made it to the WNBA Finals. In 2025, her plus-minus swung from -6.37 per game to +7.12 in 2026. The environment change is just what Reese needed. Sometimes improvement goes beyond the stats.

Reese improved as the season went on. In the last 22 games of the regular season, she was averaging 17.9 points and 12.5 rebounds on .483 shooting, and her plus-minus was +11.05. Reese’s best month came in August, when she was averaging 14.3 rebounds, and on the 24th had a 26-rebound game, the single largest rebounding game in the entire league ever. In the first 21 games, Reese was averaging 3.48 turnovers per game. She cut that to 2.73 over the rest of the season. Even with increased usage, her giveaways fell, which meant she was taking care of the ball as she was handling it more.

Reese's second-half surge has seeped over into the playoffs, even against the toughest defensive competition. In the seven postseason games she has played thus far, Reese is averaging 19.1 points, ten rebounds, two blocks, and shooting 81.6% from the line. In game two of the finals, Reese was on fire, scoring 30 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to record 30+ points and 15+ rebounds in a finals game. In a season for the books for Reese, the only question that remains is whether she can finish a nearly perfect season with the trophy.