The double-double queen was back at it. After all, Angel Reese has officially overtaken Caitlin Clark and now shares the fourth spot with Breanna Stewart in total box score impact across the entire WNBA, as per I Talk Hoops. And this time, Angel Reese didn’t just stuff the stat sheet; she walked away with the W. In what might just be a turning point for the Chicago Sky, Reese dropped her eighth straight double-double: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Not a bad at all against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, who likely didn’t expect the Sky to rain quite this hard. So, after helping take down the top team in the league, Angel Reese had a little something to say, and you just know it wasn’t going to be quiet.

But, of course, she wasn’t flying solo. Her trusted partner in paint-crime, Kamilla Cardoso, made sure to punch her own ticket to the double-double club. As the official X account of WNBA posted, “Kamilla Cardoso is settling in and owning the paint to get on the board“. In her first start since returning from international duty, Cardoso put up a beastly 17 points and 15 rebounds, sprinkled in 2 blocks and 2 assists for good measure. Not to mention, she did it all while going 5-of-12 from the field.

So when you remember that “somebody” claimed, “some inconsistency from Reese and Cardoso also confounded the advanced metrics, and the team’s rough start in 2025 (they’re being outscored by 18.0 points per 100) adds further confusion,” and even added, “Reese, on the other hand, has been underperforming,”- you can’t help but think… they definitely didn’t see this one coming.

As Reese confidently said, “Somebody said we wasn’t the best young core in the league. I think we’re the best young core in the league, for sure. Hands down,” Reese told Angel Gray on the ABC broadcast.

That “somebody” was ESPN majorly. ESPN ranked the Sky at No.7 a month back while ranking the Indiana Fever as the best when it came to the youth movement. And it is a pretty justified position considering the big picture. It was a great night for the Reese-Cardoso duo, but there are arguably better young cores in the WNBA. The two that stick out are the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics, which were one and two in the rankings.

The Fever has 2 time All-Stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, along with rookie Mikayla Timpson, who recently pulled off that viral block. Lexi Hull, too, has seen an unexpected rise, so much so that she pushed DeWanna Bonner in the starting lineup. As for the Mystics, they have a rookie all-star duo in Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, who are leading a resurgence for the franchise. The Dallas Wings have Paige Bueckers, the 2025 ROTY favourite, along with Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinnerly. And then we have the slightly unpopular Seattle Storm, Golden State Valkyries, and Atlanta Dream, who also have strong youngsters. 

There may be a valid argument against Angel Reese’s bold claim, but let’s be honest, it’s not just about the claim. It’s about confidence. The kind of self-belief that separates good players from great ones. If Reese truly sees Chicago’s young core as the best, it speaks volumes about her elite mentality and the constant hunger to rise, compete, and dominate. As she put it after the game, “This one meant a lot to us… We can’t let anything else other than ourselves take us out of the game.” That mindset, paired with her on-court grit, shows exactly why she and Kamilla Cardoso are a dangerous duo. On their day, they’re a handful—and they proved just that against the top-seeded Lynx. The Sky now sits at 7–13, still a fair distance from playoff comfort. But with this win, they sent a clear message: when locked in, they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Also, Reese’s attitude is what makes her who she is. While some might see it as arrogance, it’s rooted in the kind of unshakable self-belief that has driven many of the greats. Legends like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan built their careers on that very mindset, fueling their performance with the confidence that they were the best, long before the world agreed. As Jordan once said, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” Reese may not be in the same league as those icons just yet, but that mindset, the constant push to prove herself, might just be the first step toward getting there.

And her confidence is setting the tone for a rising Chicago Sky squad

Angel Reese Gives Ariel Atkins Her Flowers

When it comes to conversations about the Chicago Sky, the spotlight naturally falls on Angel Reese, with Kamilla Cardoso right behind her. But flying under the radar has been Ariel Atkins, the quiet killer. In the matchup against the Lynx, it was Atkins who stole the show, putting up a game-high 27 points. Her clutch performance didn’t go unnoticed either, with Angel Reese giving her teammate well-earned praise after the win.

“She’s tough,” Reese said. “And people slept on her, people kept saying she was washed. She shows up every single night and put on. Every bucket was tough. … I’m just really happy for her. She’s getting her groove. That’s just not offensively – that’s defensively, too.”

Ariel Atkins may have missed the All-Star spotlight in recent years, but calling her “washed” ignores the facts. She was a two-time All-Star in 2021 and 2022 and made WNBA history by earning All-Defensive honors in each of her first five seasons. From day one, she built a reputation as one of the league’s toughest defenders, and while the hype may have cooled, it is making a comeback again.

The last few seasons may have dimmed Ariel Atkins’ spotlight, but her move to the Sky is reigniting her game. Leading the team in scoring and steals while posting career-best numbers in assists and blocks, she is quietly becoming a key piece of Chicago’s resurgence. Surrounded by high-profile teammates like Reese and Cardoso, Atkins is carving out her space, and all signs suggest she is on the rise again.