Angel Reese Faces Even Taller Playoff Challenge After Surviving Mystics Frontcourt
Angel Reese was dealt a tough challenge in her first-ever WNBA playoff series. She had to go up against a tall, strong, and physical frontcourt of Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, and Lauren Betts. Austin and Iriafen gave Reese and the Dream plenty of problems in the regular season.
Reese held her own. She finished her first-ever playoff game with a double-double despite shooting just 26.7% from the field and responded with a much more efficient performance in Game 2. She recorded 15 points on 50% shooting from the field, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. She also helped limit Austin to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field.
The Atlanta Dream swept the Washington Mystics and will advance to the second round for the first time since 2018. Their next opponent is already decided. The New York Liberty was the first team to close out its first-round series with a historic sweep of the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
The Liberty present an even tougher challenge for Reese than the Mystics. Between Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Han Xu, they have just as much size as the Mystics, but they are also more experienced. Jones and Stewart led the Liberty to a title in 2024 and both have at least one Finals MVP on their resume. They step up their game in the postseason and know exactly what it takes to win.
The Liberty are a tough playoff opponent
The Liberty’s length gave them a huge advantage over the Lynx. Atlanta’s roster is a bit bigger than Minnesota’s, especially if Madina Okot can provide some good minutes off the bench, but Reese and Naz Hillmon are still one of the smaller starting frontcourts in the W.
It’s not just about their size, though. The Liberty have a ton of offensive firepower on their roster. Four players averaged more than ten points over the two games against the Lynx, led by Stewart’s 27.5.
The Dream won the regular-season series against the Liberty 2-1, but the Liberty have already proven that they are a different team in the playoffs. Stewart always rises to the occasion—which Reese and Rhyne Howard experienced firsthand when they played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup—and Jones also looked very much like the star she is in Game 2 against the Lynx. She recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Reese played two strong regular-season games against the Liberty. She finished a 104-90 loss in June with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, and recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in a 95-84 win in September. If Reese can play like that against Jones and Xu, who has been a super-sized X-factor off the Liberty’s bench, it will go a long way for the Dream.
Sabrina Ionescu has struggled to score efficiently for most of the season. If Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada can outplay Ionescu, Pauline Astier, and Leonie Fiebich, while Reese has a strong series in the paint, Atlanta will have a solid chance to move on to the finals.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.