Sophie Cunningham Pinpoints Harsh Truth About Angel Reese's Finishing Issues

Sophie Cunningham has spoken about Angel Reese several times during recent episodes of her "No Hesitation" podcast, especially while Reese and the Dream progressed through the WNBA postseason.

Cunningham and her co-host, Drew Hanlen, spoke about Reese's finishing struggles in the second half of the WNBA Finals during their podcast episode that was released on Monday.

"It's because she was making her layups!" Cunningham said when Hanlen spoke about how dominant Reese had been during the first three games of the WNBA Finals. "She was dominant because she was making these."

Hanlen said he hopes Angel focuses on making these layups during the offseason because it feels fixable and would take her to the next level.

"She was looking like the [Finals] MVP because of the consistency of her making her layups. Like, she gets these shots all the time. She is tall, she is strong, she gets these shots. But it's just, if the focus is there to finish the shots. And so, that has always been the name of the game for her. And I'm not saying anything no one has said," Cunningham added.

Sophie Cunningham & Drew Hanlen discuss Angel Reese’s lack of finishing around the rim:

“Improving her touch around the rim is ultimately what’s going to lead her to being the player that she can become…”

(via @NoHesiShow) pic.twitter.com/3OtuDFltCq
— Kyle Ingram (@SnapshotKyle) November 2, 2026

The Stats Behind Angel Reese's WNBA FInals Finishing Issues

Cunningham is correct in stating this isn't anything new, as Reese's struggles to convert close to the rim have been the most common and consistent critique of her game since she entered the WNBA in 2024.

It looked like Reese had turned her inefficiency issues around in the first three WNBA Finals games. She was 22-for-39 from the field during those games, making for an impressive 56.4%. She was averaging 21.7 points per game, and Atlanta was up 2-1 in the series at that point.

But Reese's finishing issues returned in a big way in the series' second half. She shot 12-for-45 from the field in Games 4-7 of the WNBA Finals, making for a 26.7% field goal percentage. That is a difference of 29.7%, and her 9.5 points per game in those final four contests show a significant drop in total scoring output, too.

Atlanta went 1-3 in those final four games.

The frustrating bit for Reese's fans is that so many other facets of her game are elite, and finishing at the rim seems easy to fix from the outside looking in. This is what Cunningham was alluding to and what seems to keep her from being one of the best offensive forwards in the game.

Solving these finishing issues is easier said than done. But if Reese can fix them this offseason, the rest of the league better watch out.

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