Even after a successful rookie season, it was no secret that Angel Reese had to make some major improvements. Her scoring inefficiency, especially around the basket, had to improve for her to reach her full potential. An offseason that included workouts with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and a successful Unrivaled season promised some much-needed improvement.
However, six games into the season, Reese is still struggling to score around the basket, and the new-look Sky are off to a slow start. With only two wins, a playoff appearance is still far away.
Reese must improve her inside scoring
Angel Reese is one of the best rebounders in the WNBA. Averaging a league-high 5.7 offensive rebounds a game, Reese gets plenty of chances around the basket. She currently averages 8.7 shots within less than five feet from the basket. That is the highest number in the league, just slightly ahead of Dearica Hamby and Aliyah Boston.
While Reese gets a lot of looks close to the basket, she doesn’t make many of them. Reese is currently only converting 32.7 percent of her attempts within five feet. That number stands out among other players averaging a lot of attempts around the basket and not in a good way.
None of the other top-ten players in field goal attempts less than five feet away from the basket are shooting even close to Reese’s percentage. Hamby and Boston, the only other players averaging eight or more attempts, are shooting 59.4 and 70.8 percent respectively. The next seven players are all making at least 54 percent of their shots that close to the basket. Out of all players averaging at least two attempts in the five-feet range, only Aaliyah Edwards recorded a worse field goal percentage than Reese.
Converting so few of her attempts close to the basket is not a sustainable way for Reese to succeed in the WNBA. Reese is a talented player with lots of potential, but she must improve her layups if she wants to realize that potential fully. Reese is still young and just starting her second WNBA season. There is time for her to figure this out. So, while her struggles are certainly not helping the Sky return to the playoffs, fans should grant her some time to work on her weaknesses. After all, she does plenty of other things well, even if her inside scoring isn’t where it needs to be yet.
Chicago is struggling offensively
Improving her inside scoring would also benefit Reese’s team. The Sky tried their best to build an improved team around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso this offseason, but many of last season’s issues still persist.
The Sky still struggle from three and only rank tenth in offensive rating. Only the Connecticut Sun, Golden State Valkyries, and Washington Mystics have worse offensive ratings than the Sky.
Those struggles will make it difficult for Chicago to secure a playoff spot, and Reese’s inside scoring is a part of the problem that must be solved.