After going on a tear in her return for much of the last month of FIBA and WNBA action, Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese struggled big-time in Game 1 of her team’s opening-round series against the Washington Mystics.
While she finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, her 4-of-15 (26.7%) shooting performance from the field is a far cry from the 57.4% clip she’d been shooting at since August 20. Then again, that’s not surprising when you look at who kept her in check.
This Mystics team is uniquely built to counter Reese’s physicality and block her unorthodox shooting style, with 6’3” Kiki Iriafen, 6’5” Shakira Austin, and 6’7” Lauren Betts all matching Reese’s height (6’3”) and aggressiveness in the paint. Washington has held Reese below her season field-goal average (45.1%) in all four games they played against one another this season, including a dismal 1-for-12 night in D.C. in July.
In short, Reese’s usual tactics for scoring probably aren’t going to work in Game 2. That means it’s time to shift strategies a bit.
Specifically, Reese needs to take more midrange jumpers in this one.
Now, let’s preface this by saying Reese, no matter where she shoots from, isn’t the most efficient scorer (though she’s improved this season). Her percentages from outside the paint this season aren’t great: she made just 2 of 11 midrange attempts (18.2%) and 11 of 57 three-pointers (19.3%), though she did hit a triple in Game 1.
But going into this year, the midrange was actually a sneaky weapon for her. In Chicago, she shot about 32% on mid-range shots over two years, including 5-for-13 (38.5%) last season. When utilized selectively, especially when in rhythm, Reese made defenses pay for sagging off her.
That’s what she has to do against Washington.
Jump shots could make all the difference for Reese
The scouting report on Reese is what it is: dare her to take a jump shot, absorb her contact when she drives, and keep your hands up on her low-release shots without fouling and putting her on the free-throw line. Jonquel Jones, Lauren Betts, and everyone else guarding her have been very transparent about that strategy. So what’s more effective: barrelling into a defender who keeps swatting your shot, or taking a few jumpers, especially from free-throw distance, if they’re giving it to you?
This isn’t to say Reese should never drive to the basket or try to draw contact, of course. She’s an aggressive player, and she needs to keep that mindset to be successful. But we’ve also seen, when Reese shows the willingness and ability to hit outside shots, how much that opens up pump-fakes and drives to the basket as a result. If she wants to make the Mystics re-think their defensive plan, she has to make them do it by taking and making shots outside the paint.
If she can hit even one, whether it’s a three-pointer or a middy, it could signal bigger things ahead for Reese and the Dream, who will aim to sweep the upstart Mystics tonight.
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