Underrated Angel Reese Trait Is Already Making a Difference for the Dream
When you think of Angel Reese, the first thing that comes to mind is her rebounding and strong presence in the paint. That’s what has allowed her to break WNBA records and make two All-Star teams in two years. Reese has been big on the glass for the Atlanta Dream so far, totalling 30 rebounds over her first two games with her new team and recording two double-doubles.
But that’s not the only way she has made a difference. Her competitiveness has been a real game-changer late in matches for the Dream.
“We competed against her, so we know what kind of competitor she is, but it’s a lot of fun when she’s on your side,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said after his team’s 77-72 win over the Dallas Wings per a YouTube video from MTMV Sports. “She’s out to win, and she’s willing to contribute any way to winning, and that’s just been really key for us down the stretch in these close games to have somebody who’s so locked in on just what do we have to do to win?”
The Dream opened the season with two close games
Fans didn’t get many opportunities to see Angel Reese help her team close out tight games in her first two seasons in the WNBA because the Chicago Sky didn’t win much and were often too far behind to make the end of the fourth quarter competitive. Last season, only six of the 30 games Reese played for the Sky ended with a margin of five or fewer points, and the team only won one.
The Dream have already won two close games this season. They battled back from a 15-point deficit at the half to gut out a 91-90 win over the short-handed Minnesota Lynx.
Atlanta was down 89-90 when Te-Hina Paopao scored two points with 12 seconds left in the game. The Lynx had a chance to take the lead, but Allisha Gray blocked Olivia Miles’s shot, which led to a jump ball between Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey that granted the Lynx another possession. Reese sealed the victory when she blocked Emese Hof’s final attempt to win the game for Minnesota.
The ending of the Dream’s 77-72 win over the Wings wasn’t quite as dramatic. Atlanta entered the fourth quarter down one point, but built a small lead in the fourth that Dallas couldn’t quite overcome. Reese grabbed five rebounds, including two offensive boards, in the fourth quarter and made two free throws to push the Dream’s lead to 77-67 with just under two minutes left.
Atlanta is now one of only two teams that’s off to a 2-0 start (although the Sky can still follow suit) and looks ready to be just as competitive as this roster should be.
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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.