ESPN recently dropped its “WNBA 2024 awards tracker.” They shared their opinion on some major awards like the Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year. During their explanation for the Rookie of the Year award, ESPN posted their thoughts on Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. She was listed as the runner-up, behind Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. While they’ve both had generational seasons in their rookie years, fans have been highlighting their flaws. Clark leads the league in turnovers per game with 5.5 turnovers per game and Reese has a substandard shooting percentage that’s plagued her offensive game. The Sky’s forward is averaging 13.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, shooting 38.7% from the field.
Related: Caitlin Clark Fans Get Burnt For Unfair Treatment Of Angel Reese Her shooting splits are less than ideal for a player that takes most of her shots less than five feet from the basket, but ESPN gave an in depth reasoning as to how she’s still excelling in the league. As fans debate Reese leading the league in average rebounds, some seem to believe that Reese missing easy buckets around the rim has helped boost her rebound average; ESPN shut down that discussion with further research.
They made it known that even if her biggest flaw were taken away from her game, she would still be making a massive impact on the glass. “There is some discussion about how Reese’s shooting percentage (38.7) has impacted her rebounding,” ESPN posted. “To put it in context, Reese currently has 53 of her 374 rebounds off her own missed shots. While that is the most of any WNBA player, she would still be averaging 11.1 RPG even if you subtracted those 53 rebounds.” Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) © Wendell Cruz–USA TODAY Sports © Wendell Cruz–USA TODAY Sports While ESPN has Reese listed as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year, they made sure to explain the rookies significance to the Chicago Sky. Reese has been the Sky’s most consistent starter all season, having helped the team enter the playoff race. Chicago currently sits at the No. 8 seed in the WNBA standings with a 11-18 record. Related: WNBA Rookie Angel Reese Makes Big Announcement.
