Angel Reese had a chance to make her viral shot chart look a little less ugly.
Instead, it got worse.
One day after OutKick noted that Reese had not made a shot from outside five feet this season, the Atlanta Dream forward went to Minnesota and attempted two three-pointers in a 96-81 loss to the Lynx.
Both missed.
ANGEL REESE GIVES ATLANTA DREAM REBOUNDS AND ATTENTION, BUT HER OFFENSE IS STILL A PROBLEM
Reese finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. That box score does not look disastrous on its own. But the shooting details tell a different story. Reese shot 3 of 8 from the field, went 0 of 2 from beyond the arc and failed to record a double-double for the third time this season. Two of those instances came in the Dream’s two losses.
The 3-point attempts were notable because Reese had attempted only three shots from deep through Atlanta’s first five games. Against the Lynx, she nearly matched that total in one night. It’s as if she heard the noise around her inability to make shots from distance and tried to change the narrative.
The problem is that neither attempt went in. All three of Reese’s made field goals against Minnesota came from inside five feet. She did make all four of her free throw attempts, however, which improved her percentage to 71% from the line for the season.
According to the WNBA’s advanced stats page, Reese is now 25 of 62 from the field this season. All 25 of her made baskets have come from less than 5 feet. From 5 feet or farther, she is 0 of 9.
That is not great.
But the shooting was not the only issue for Reese on Wednesday night.
Reese’s value is supposed to be built around rebounding, defense, physicality and energy. That is the case her supporters usually make when the offensive numbers aren’t there. But even that part of the argument was harder to make against Minnesota.
Natasha Howard, the player Reese was tasked with guarding for much of the game, had her way with Atlanta’s frontcourt. Howard finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 11-of-16 from the field.
Reese finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 3-of-8.
Same rebounds. Same assists. Twelve fewer points.
Howard also had two steals, two blocks and finished plus-18. Reese had one steal, no blocks and finished minus-16.
That matters because when Reese is not finishing around the rim, the fallback argument is usually everything else she brings to the floor. And to be fair, Reese does bring real value. She rebounds. She plays hard. She creates extra possessions. She draws attention to herself, her team and the WNBA.
But if the offense is limited and the opposing frontcourt player is also winning the defensive and physical matchup, the conversation gets a lot harder to spin.
Now, none of this means Reese was the only reason Atlanta lost. The Dream had plenty of problems against Minnesota. The Lynx shot 60% from the field, got 25 points and seven assists from Courtney Williams, and outscored Atlanta 28-19 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Minnesota was simply better.
But Reese’s night was still notable because it came immediately after her shooting chart became a topic of conversation. She had a chance to answer it. Instead, she extended the streak.
In addition, she stood on stage at Hot 107.9’s annual Birthday Bash ATL on Sunday night and declared, “We the number one team right now in the W!” That was true at the time, with Atlanta at 4-1, but it landed differently after Wednesday’s loss.
The Dream are still 4-2. Reese is averaging 12.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Those are not bad numbers. Plenty of players would take them, and most teams, if not all, would want a player like Reese on their roster.
But context matters.
Reese has attempted 53 of her 62 shots this season from less than five feet. That is 85.5% of her total shot attempts. Even from there, she is making fewer than half.
She has also had eight shots blocked, including six inside 5 feet.
For a 6-foot-4 forward, that’s a problem.
The issue is not simply that Reese cannot stretch the floor. Plenty of productive post players don’t shoot threes. The issue is that Reese hasn’t made anything outside five feet and is still not finishing efficiently enough at the rim.
If almost every shot comes from right around the basket, the efficiency has to be better than 47%. For reference, Natasha Howard is shooting 67% overall this season and 71% on shots from less than five feet. In other words, Howard makes the shots she’s supposed to make.
This is where the superstar conversation around Reese continues to run into reality. She can absolutely help a team. She can rebound. She can defend. She can give Atlanta energy and visibility.
But that is a very different conversation from pretending the offensive questions don’t exist.
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After Wednesday night, the numbers are even harder to spin.
Reese has now taken nine shots from five feet or farther this season.
She has made zero.
Different team. Same attention. Same rebounds.
Same ugly shooting problem.
And in this game, even the defense-and-rebounding argument took a hit.
