Kara Lawson Explains How Angel Reese Embracing Her ‘Aggression’ Will Help Team USA
Team USA women's basketball coach Kara Lawson shared a strong take about how star forward Angel Reese can impact USA's roster in the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
"I just enjoy how she raises the level of a practice or of a game with her presence and with her intensity. She plays with an aggression and a physicality, which I think is really important in FIBA play because there's a little more aggression and physicality that's typically allowed relative to the WNBA, and you need to have players that embrace that, and I think she's definitely one of the players on the roster that embraces that," Lawson said of Reese, per ESPN.
FIBA is known for being a more physical game than the WNBA, and referees are more willing to let physicality manifest during games. Reese is one of several Team USA forwards who have a naturally physical playing style, and she certainly doesn't back down from any challenge or display of aggression — whether it be physical or verbal — on the court.
Why Angel Reese's Aggression Will Be Important in Team USA's First FIBA World Cup Game
The USA squad plays its first 2026 FIBA World Cup game against China on Friday. While Dallas Wings center Li Yueru isn't able to compete for China because she didn't get her passport in time, the team has two other players (Han Xu, the New York Liberty's 6'8" center, and a 19-year-old named Zhang Ziyu, who is listed at 7'4") who are much taller than anybody on Team USA.
Reese will be one of several Team USA players tasked with guarding these two extremely tall opponents. She is no stranger to having to guard taller opponents, but given the aforementioned physicality that FIBA allows, Reese might be uniquely suited to handling this tall task.
Reese is also the best rebounder on the USA's roster (and arguably in all of women's basketball), which means she'll be battling against China's two centers on the boards. This is where Reese's aggression can really help her team, and is why fans can expect her to play a key role on Friday and throughout the tournament.
It remains to be seen how many points Reese will score for Team USA. But her role on the team isn't primarily about scoring, and Kara Lawson's comment convey that. Instead, her rebounding, aggression, and physicality will be what makes her an invaluable part of USA's FIBA World Cup run.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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