Angel Reese refusing to make layup leaves fans furious: “She went full Ben Simmons”

Angel Reese came under the scanner once again after clips of her passing up an open layup in the Unrivalled league went viral.

Angel Reese refusing to make layup leaves fans furious: “She went full Ben Simmons”

Angel Reese compared to Ben Simmons after tragic play

The WNBA offseason is in full swing, and the Unrivalled Basketball League is already taking over the airspace in the meantime. The league features many of the W’s top stars, with the 305 Barbie – Angel Reese being amongst the premiere attractions of the league. But it seems like her layup troubles, which have plagued her for some time, are haunting her in Miami.

During the first period of the Rose BC vs Mist BC game on Saturday night, Angel Reese had a lowlight that she would be wishing to erase from the internet as soon as possible. Reese started the play strong by stripping Breanna Stewart in transition and getting the steal. She took the ball and went down the court for a wide-open layup before inexplicably turning down the shot and passing the ball back.

YouTube video

The play was reminiscent of something we have seen very often from Reese in College and in the WNBA. She has earned a particularly bad reputation for missing open layups under the basket, having shot a woeful 44.5% from less than 5ft from the basket. With league average rim finishing standing at 59.6%, it is quite a surprise to see her shooting numbers being this dreadful while primarily playing under the bucket.

FS Video

Throughout her rookie year, Angel Reese faced much criticism for her viral plays of missing open layups under the ring. These missed bunnies gave fans the perfect opportunity to join the critiques of the Chi-Town Barbie in dismissing her talents. However, even though Reese has missed shots under the basket in the past, her latest blunder was a new low, even for her standards.

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Fans draw Angel Reese’s comparison to infamous Ben Simmons play

Unfortunately for Angel Reese, it took fans no time at all to equate her passing up on a wide-open layup opportunity to Ben Simmons’ similar woes. As clips of the play went viral on social media, fans made the association between Reese’s rim-finishing woes and the now-infamous Simmons play from the 2021 NBA playoffs, where he passed up on a wide-open layup during a clutch situation.

During his early years, Ben Simmons was a transformative force in the league, much like Reese is now in the WNBA. Although their skillsets vastly differ, it was Simmons’ underwhelming scoring ability and non-existent perimeter shot that ultimately led him down the path of passing up a wide-open layup in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in 2021.

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If Reese wishes to become the star many hope she will become, she needs her offensive game to tag along with her. After primarily playing minutes at the 3 and 4 spot, Reese would certainly be required to improve her shooting numbers in a bid to build upon her glorious superstar rookie season in the league.