Angel Reese will play her first official game as a member of the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, when the Dream opens its season against the Minnesota Lynx. After landing in Atlanta in a blockbuster trade from the Chicago Sky this offseason, she’s looking for her first legitimate opportunity at a title run this season.
Reese appeared in both of Atlanta’s preseason games, but the results were a bit of a mixed bag. In the first game, against the Sky, Reese scored 8 points and snagged 7 rebounds in a win, but struggled with her efficiency, going 2-for-7 from the field and 4-for-8 from the free throw line.
In the second game, Reese scored 10 points, but was under 50% from the field again, going 3-for-7. She was also called for three fouls and committed two turnovers in limited minutes.
Reese has plenty of time, both this season and over her career, to get things turned around, but the concern online is that until she “fixes” her shooting form, she’ll remain a limited player offensively.
In particular, concern has arisen over her low release point.
“Angel still shoots from they waist, this can’t be real but it is,” one fan posted on X.
“Why don’t her coaches teach her form and mechanics of shooting. She’s trying to do it Larry Bird style from the shoulder, but it is just awful,” another fan posted.
Time to change hands?
Speculation has even arisen that Reese would be more comfortable shooting with her right hand as opposed to her left, and while she was still a member of the Sky, Reese did reveal in a presser that she is naturally right-handed.
“It’s never made sense to me how often Angel drives right when she shoots left handed and finishes better with her left. It’s not like defenders sit on her left hand either,” one fan posted on X.
Atlanta coach Karl Smesko is giving Reese the green light to shoot from the perimeter and noted that he has seen “tremendous progress” in her scoring ability. Regardless of how well she scores, Reese’s ability to dominate the glass and create havoc on the defensive end will keep her on the floor. Everything else is just a cherry on top.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.