All-Star Angel and the Art of Reese’s Rebounding
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese is an All-Star and holds the record for the most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history. Just how historic is Reese's recent run?
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Through the midpoint of Angel Reese’s first WNBA season, the Chicago Sky rookie has cemented herself as an undeniable force. She’s recorded a league-record 13 straight double-doubles, surpassing all-time great Candace Parker’s record of 12 in a row. Reese, along with fellow rookie and frontcourt-mate Kamilla Cardoso, own the paint any time they’re on the floor. The pair averages close to 20 rebounds per game, lifting the Sky to the top rebounding team in the league.
Reese’s early success resulted in an All-Star selection. She leads the WNBA in both total rebounds per game (11.9) and offensive rebounds per game (4.9). Her control of the glass isn’t the whole story, though. She gets to the free-throw line over five times per game, a top-10 number in the league. She records 1.5 steals per game, a top-15 mark.
“I’m just so happy,” Reese told the media through tears after she was named an All-Star. “All the work I put in, coming into this league so many people doubted me, didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player that I was in college.”
Those doubters have one primary slight: Reese’s rebounding numbers are so impressive because she misses a high volume of shots near the rim, grabs her own miss and puts it back up. Then, rinse and repeat. According to Stephen Noh of The Sporting News, 34 of Reese’s 97 total offensive rebounds are off her own misses, which means that she would lead the WNBA in offensive rebounding even if you take away every rebound she got from herself.
The critiques are certainly true to a degree. There’s no question that Reese is currently an inefficient scorer. But it’s not the full story. Two things can be true at the same time: Reese isn’t efficient from the field, but she is also an elite rebounder.
Reese puts up the most shots from inside the restricted area of any player in the league. She has the second-most makes from that zone, but on a suboptimal 49.7% of attempts. Overall, she’s hitting just 41.8% of attempts from the field, which ranks in the 46th percentile across the WNBA this year.
As Reese gets further and further from the rim, a dip in shooting percentage follows, other than when you get to the midrange and from long distance where volume is much lower.
Here’s a look at Reese’s shooting percentage by distance around the hoop (bubble size is proportionate to number of attempts):
The great majority (78%) of Reese’s shot attempts come from within five feet of the basket. She wants to match up with opponents near the rim where she can overpower defenders and get around them to grab a rebound if need be.
Nearly five offensive rebounds per game is a lot. Among players with a minimum of 10 games, No. 2 on the list this season is Cardoso, who grabs 3.5 offensive boards per game. The leading offensive rebounder who isn’t on the Chicago Sky is Ezi Magbegor of the Seattle Storm with 3.0 per game, almost two fewer than Reese. No player has averaged more than 4.0 offensive rebounds per game over a full season since 2006, when Cheryl Ford of the Detroit Shock averaged 4.1.
Reese is a strong defensive rebounder as well. Her defensive rebound rate of 26.7% ranks in the 97th percentile. The only players collecting more off the defensive glass this season are A’ja Wilson, Dearica Hamby, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Pretty good company.
If you zoom out to league history, Reese’s work on the glass remains astronomical and historic.
Reese’s 11.9 rebounds per game puts her rookie season on the glass as one of the best we’ve seen in the WNBA history.
Numbers aside, Reese is a true presence in the paint. She brings an outlier skillset, which creates a unique advantage for her team any time she’s on the floor.
“She’s fearless,” Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike said of Reese to the media after the record 13th straight double-double. “One thing about her is that she has an unwavering confidence. She’s fearless, she’s relentless when it comes to how she plays. You can teach technique, you can talk about how certain things look and what people should expect when it comes to working on certain skills. At the end of the day, you can have a skillful person, but if they’re not relentless each time, there’s only so far that skill can take you. It’s clear that she has longevity in this league given how she plays. I think that’s something that no one can take away from her.”
In Chicago’s recent two-game stretch in Seattle, Reese went 16-for-28 (57.1%) combined from the field over both games. She even drained the first and second 3-pointers of her young career in the same game. Over the two games, she still grabbed 24 rebounds. In the July 5 game against the Storm, Reese missed just five shots but grabbed seven offensive rebounds. It’s a small sample size, but it’s a sign of improvement and a focus on increased efficiency near the rim, while continuing to dominate the glass.
Rebounding is an art form. It’s about timing, positioning and anticipation. All of which Reese has shown a knack for in only her first WNBA season. She’s currently the best in the league at securing possession, while competing against the best players in the world. If she keeps it up at this rate, she’s on track for one of, if not the, greatest seasons on the glass in WNBA history. Her instant impact led to an All-Star bid and helped the Sky jockey into playoff position at the midway point of the season. Reese’s play, both individually and where she can lead her team, has no ceiling.
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In a way. Angel Reese is like Draymond Green -- an effective outlier. Neither can shoot particularly well, but Reese is an exceptional rebounder and Green is an exceptional defender. It's hard to find a home at this level without being able to score, but both show it can be done.
33% of her rebounds are from her own shots and sports analysts are eating it up calling her WMBA history making. What a joke