Sky Season Grades: Angel Reese
From the moment she joined a Chicago Sky squad in need of kickstarting its next era, the bar was set extremely high for the Windy City's newest star in the making.
The Sky were once fresh off a franchise-changing season, one with several new names looking to find their place in the WNBA. With an interim head coach and a hastily-assembled roster, they defied the odds and made the postseason despite everything standing against them. Chicago moved on from Kahleah Copper, a four-time All-Star who helped guide the Sky to their first WNBA championship, in what would officially signal their transition into a rebuild. Along with a top-3 pick and fellow SEC star in Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese would be the needed centerpiece to usher in a new era for the Sky and beyond with her stardom both on and off the court.
Even as the Sky continued to be defined by dysfunction, inconsistency and turmoil over their last two seasons, Reese stood strong as a young captain for the sputtering squad as she earned two All-Star selections and a spot on the 2024 All-Rookie team. There seemed to be a night-and-day difference between when Chicago has featured its 23-year-old star this year and when it hasn't, one defined by a sudden surge of energy when she first returned from injury in late August and the absence of it without her. The Sky fell far short of where they wanted to be during their 2025 campaign, but they can still have some hope in their future as long as Reese remains on the roster.
Did Reese live up to the sky-high expectations placed upon her this season?
Offense: B+
Reese's passing numbers took a massive leap forward as she proved to be effective as a playmaker in the post and beyond. The 6-foot-3 forward would finish the year with 3.7 assists per game, far beyond her average from the year before, as she tied for third place among forwards in assists per contest. She proved to be nearly just as reliable on the o-boards as she was just last season after leading the league in offensive rebounds with 4.1 per game. She led the Sky in scoring with 14.7 points per game, which put her on pace with Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson at about 10th place among WNBA forwards.
Chicago's point forward may have found most of her scoring success from the restricted area, where she hit just under 51% of her shot attempts, but showed some signs of improvement across the floor. Her field goal percentage nearly jumped a full seven points from last season on almost the same number of attempts per game. Her efficiency from inside the paint shot up from the season before, a needed step forward as she continues to be a leader for the Sky on both sides of the floor.
Reese could still improve her efficiency and long-range shooting while reducing her turnovers as she continues to navigate her young career. Still, she proved to be a valuable and much-improved part of a Sky offense that desperately needed a spark during their 2025 campaign.
Defense: A-
Defense has proven to be a calling card for the former LSU star, who was an expert at gaining extra possessions as she ended the year with 1.5 steals and 8.5 defensive rebounds per game. Reese's mobility and defensive talent allowed her to pick off and deflect passes while working well as a perimeter defender. Her switching and ability to read her opponents made her a notable contributor on a Sky squad that struggled to defend the perimeter this season.
Reese again dominated on the defensive glass after leading the league in defensive rebounds per game. She ended 13 games with 10 or more defensive boards, including a career-high 17 against the Atlanta Dream, as she tracked the ball well while holding her own against her matchups and used her strength to effectively box out other bigs. Reese must continue to be a needed part of a Sky squad that ranked dead last in the WNBA in defensive rating and 10th in opponent points per game this year.
Final Grade: A
Alex Sabri began contributing to the BIGPLAY Network in September 2025. He also contributes to Chicago Sky on SI and FanSided's High Post Hoops. The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over two years of journalism experience in collegiate and professional sports, as well as local journalism, and a few more years of sports blogging experience. Though he specializes in covering Ohio sports for BIGPLAY, his interests include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.