Atlanta Dream fans have been sounding the alarm about Angel Reese's technical foul count for weeks, and it's not just because Reese will miss one game if she receives an eighth tech — she could up missing every other game after that.
The rules about technical fouls are laid out in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was signed in the WNBA this year after months of deliberation and negotiations. It states that a player receives a one-game suspension if they receive eight technical fouls. Right now, Reese leads the league with seven. She's followed by Kahleah Copper and Caitlin Clark, who each have five, Alyssa Thomas with four, and Natasha Cloud with three.
A one-game suspension would be difficult enough, but it's something the Dream could ultimately work around and through. Atlanta has an extremely talented roster that can manage a lot, and missing Reese for one game wouldn't be enormously disruptive (even at this point in the season). But the problem could grow exponentially if Reese continues to receive techs, because she'll also continue to receive one-game suspensions each time.
The Dream played the team's 22nd game of the season this week, which means they're officially halfway through yet another year of basketball. But that also means that there are still 22 more games to play, and that's 22 more times Reese could be hit with a tech. That's... a lot.
Angel Reese has walked this road before
Reese is no stranger to technical fouls, though she's never been in exactly this position. She missed one game with the Chicago Sky after hitting eight techs, and was the only player who had more than six last season (she was also the only player who was suspended due to receiving too many technical fouls).
Reese is an important part of the Dream this season, which as impressive feat since it's also her first time with the team. Her production has been strong, and she's been steadily improving. But she's also picking up a number of flagrant points and technical fouls, and she could end up impeding the team's progress if that trend continues.
She's also the type of player who knows how to be physical on the court, an element of her game that may have contributed to some of those techs — but not all of them. While it could be more difficult for Reese to rein in how she plays, if she can focus on not entering into verbal spats with referees (the reason for her seventh tech, dished out while the Dream played Seattle), she might avoid missing games this season. Losing Reese for multiple games would necessitate a lot of changes for the Dream — and that's hopefully something they'll be able to avoid.
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