Angel Reese finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists in the Atlanta Dream’s 94-87 home win over the Toronto Tempo on Monday. Reese logged a near double-double but shot just 4-for-13, including 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, and committed 4 turnovers.
Following Reese’s uneven performance, the WNBA community buzzed with mixed reactions.
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Angel Reese Draws Polarizing Reactions After Brutal Shooting Night vs. Tempo
Reese struggled right off the bat against the Tempo. The two-time All-Star’s first shot attempt was blocked by Nyara Sabally. A few possessions later, she missed an open 24-footer that Toronto was all too willing to give her. Reese also clunked another shot from the same distance and muffed a 3-footer roughly 4 minutes into the game.
Although Reese labored to make baskets, she impacted her team’s winning effort in other ways. As usual, she was a force on the boards on both ends, and her activity in the paint caused Toronto problems. The 6-foot-3 forward also could have recorded a few more assists had her teammates been more efficient.
As expected, Reese’s play drew polarizing reactions from the WNBA world.
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“Worst basketball player on planet earth!!! Can’t shoot jumpers. Can’t even make layups without bricking. … Only her sorry [expletive] fans keep hyping this bum,” one observer tweeted.
Conversely, Indiana Fever reporter Robin Lundberg highlighted an often overlooked part of the Dream standout’s game, writing, “Angel Reese is an underrated passer. She makes good reads consistently.”
“Refs just didn’t let Angel play, and it completely drained her mental. I’ve never seen a player officiated like this. She wasn’t allowed to drive, box out, set screens, or even rebound. It’s just tiring,” one supporter commented.
“That was the nastiest display of targeting by the officials on Angel Reese,” another X user similarly concluded.
One WNBA observer asserted, “Angel Reese is stat padding against a bad team up 20 in the 4th. Did I get that right???”
“I honestly think people could get rich betting on Angel Reese to miss her first shot attempt. At this point, I’m riding with it every single game she plays for the rest of the season,” podcaster Jaime Lardis wrote.
Last year, Reese shot 45.8% overall, including 18.2% from deep, numbers that have dropped to 42.6% and 10% this season, fueling criticism of her offensive game.
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Rebounding, though, remains Reese’s biggest strength. Real App noted that through 80 games, Reese has 1,011 career rebounds, “over 100 more than the second place,” which belongs to Tina Charles (909).
Regardless of the mixed reactions, Reese has undeniably had a positive impact on the Dream. They improved their record to 12-4 after their win against the Tempo, which marked their fourth straight victory.
Atlanta sits 1.5 games ahead of the New York Liberty (11-6) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
