Angel Reese Channels Her Inner Kevin Durant in Dominating Performance

Angel Reese has started to turn her and her Chicago Sky's season around after some embarrassing opening losses.

Angel Reese Channels Her Inner Kevin Durant in Dominating Performance

Angel Reese has been on a tear lately (Image via FirstSportz)

Similar to any other sports league, the WNBA also has its fair share of young stars who are making the established veterans look a tad too slow. Caitlin Clark and her exciting scoring and playmaking have captured the attention of fans. So has Angel Reese, with her dominating performances in the paint.

The latter held the overall rebounding record last season until a season-ending injury gave that lead to A’ja Wilson. Had she notched that accolade, it would have been another feather in her cap after blitzing every past player in the rebound per game average.

Heading into this season, everyone expected her game to improve. After initially struggling with some lowly games, the 23-year-old has exploded. After notching her first career triple-double, the Chicago Sky star seems is getting comfortable in the point-forward role.

Over the last three games, the former LSU star has upped her pace, and her statistics prove that. In their latest game against the Los Angeles Sparks, she took up the onus of leading her team as they were shorthanded inside the paint.

Reese dominated both ends of the floor by notching game-highs in points and rebounds with 24 and 16, respectively. She also crucially found her teammates in scoring positions 7 times along with a steal and a block.

While doing so, on one play, her confidence was sky high when she scored over Dearica Hamby and gestured Kevin Durant‘s famous ‘too small’ celebration towards the All-Star. The Sky superstar has come true on her promise of improving her game.

Angel Reese setting a new standard in WNBA

Over these past four games, Angel Reese has averaged 17.25 points and 17.5 rebounds, 4.75 assists, and 2.25 steals. All of those numbers are much higher than her rookie season averages. Understandably, this is a hot stretch, but such stretches build confidence.

Angel Reese dominated against the Sparks
Angel Reese dominated against the Sparks (Image via Open Source/X)

She is essentially building on what she started last season. This was Reese’s 50th WNBA game, and she notched a grand total of 647 rebounds. That is 80 more than what future Hall of Famer Tina Charles could do in her first 50 games.

The 6′ 3″ forward also notched her 3rd straight game with 15 points and 15 rebounds. As per Polymarket Hoops, the last three players to do so, A’ja Wilson, Jonquel Jones, and Lisa Leslie, all won the MVP award that same year.

Voters looking at potential candidates for MVP look at the team standings. The Sky’s horrendous 5-11 record so far might be the only obstacle to her winning the award, even if she is worthy of being placed in that category.

However, even if she does not win, the Maryland native is seemingly setting a new standard of play for forwards and centers. The only aspect missing in her game is blocks. If she can develop a knack for it like how some of her mentors did, the sky is the limit for the 23-year-old.

Angel Reese claps back at critics with latest ‘Mebounds’ claim

Last season, when Angel Reese was grabbing rebounds at a never-before-seen pace, many critics pointed out that most of those stats were inflated as she was grabbing her own misses. At the time, she vowed to change that narrative this season. This game was an example of that change, and she took the opportunity to clap back at those critics.

I only had four O-boards, so it wasn’t just ‘Mebounds’ tonight.

Angel Reese said after the game

The 23-year-old star has just won a trademark for the term ‘Mebounds’ used by her critics. Now, since she owns the trademark, she is openly using it to stop those critics in their tracks. In this game, Reese proved that her statistics were from her ability to get rebounds and not just from her misses.

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