Angel Reese Has Responded to Fever Missed Layup With Major Efficiency Surge

Atlanta Dream star forward Angel Reese has been widely criticized for her struggles converting shots from close to the basket throughout her WNBA career.

And these criticisms are valid. Reese shot 44.5% from within five feet of the basket as a rookie and 51.8% in her 2025 campaign. Those are not good numbers, especially when compared to the league's elite forwards, like A'ja Wilson (68% from within five feet last season) or Nneka Ogwumike (74.3%). Reese is undoubtedly one of the WNBA's elite forwards in all matters except this close-range shooting, which is one reason why her struggles from there are magnified.

Criticism hit a fever pitch (pun intended) after Reese missed a potential game-winning layup against the Indiana Fever on August 16. Atlanta ultimately lost the game in overtime, and a clip of Caitlin Clark seemingly smiling about Angel's vital miss went viral on social media after the game.

Caitlin Clark laughing at Angel Reese for missing this layup ..... this rivalry will really never end 😂 https://t.co/tuS78DLpwe pic.twitter.com/MnZZ1jOGR3
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) August 17, 2026

In the foreground of that same clip, one could see Angel apologizing to her Dream teammates. This felt like it could be a tipping point for Reese.

And it has been—albeit not in the way many might have imagined.

Angel Reese’s Missed Layup Has Sparked Finishing Turnaround

Reese was shooting 48.4% from within five feet of the basket before that missed layup this season. In the four games since that loss, she's shooting 63.8% from that same range.

This includes going a perfect 7-for-7 from 0-5 feet against the Los Angeles Sparks on August 20 (which was arguably the best game of her WNBA career) and 14-for-17 from that range against the Phoenix Mercury on August 22.

That's a 15.4% improvement after that missed layup against Indiana, and 63.8% is a respectable percentage for that range. Not to mention that Atlanta has won all four of those games.

Granted, it hasn't been all smooth sailing, as Reese went 4-for-14 from within five feet in her most recent game against the Sparks. Yet, her 26 rebounds in that win, which is a single-game WNBA record, more than made up for it.

Reese could have let the noise about that miss against the Fever get to her. Instead, she took accountability and used it as motivation to improve. And the eye test shows that she's taking her time more and trying to keep the ball above her head more often when in the paint. So it isn't just that this is a stroke of luck.

Angel deserves credit for how she has responded. And perhaps that miss might be the catalyst for her close-range shooting struggles to end forever.

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