The spotlight never blinked. Not when Chicago trailed by 34. Not when Sabrina Ionescu lit up the scoreboard. And certainly not when Angel Reese stepped on the court with her signature headband, a quiet fire in her eyes, and a promise she had made just hours before echoing in the air.

“I’m going to continue to say I trust my own work,” Reese had said confidently pre-game. “I put my head down at work every single day. I don’t give up on anything. I watch film. I critique myself the most. So, I know it’s going to translate.”

Against a red-hot New York Liberty squad—undefeated at 9-0 and now tied for the fourth-longest winning streak to open a WNBA season—Reese didn’t just show up. She delivered. Efficiently. Emphatically.

The 22-year-old forward was one of the only bright spots in the Sky’s 85-66 loss, pouring in a season-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing 3 assists, and swiping 2 steals. In the 31 minutes she was on the floor, Reese fought for every inch in the paint, even as the Liberty swarmed and the scoreboard widened. It marked yet another double-double—her 30th in just 42 career WNBA games. That’s 71%, a number that defies ceilings.

She had promised the work would show. “I trust in my whole offseason work… I have to show now,” she had said before tipoff. And without Courtney Vandersloot to anchor the offense, the load was hers to carry. Carry it she did.

Her post presence kept Chicago afloat as Liberty defenders packed the perimeter and Sky shooters struggled (6-for-23 from deep). Reese’s ability to muscle through contact and finish efficiently was a rare constant. While her teammates combined for  17 turnovers, she created shots, protected the glass, and defended with grit.

In fact, Reese didn’t just speak her confidence into existence—she backed it up, possession by possession. And though the Sky lost the game, she won something far more important: credibility.

Angel Reese’s Bounce-Back Comes at the Right Time

While it’s still early in the WNBA season—and as Scott Van Pelt might say, “Nine games doth not a season make”—that doesn’t change the fact that for Angel Reese, who had managed just four points in her previous outing against Indiana, this performance against New York meant more than just a stat bump. It gave her breathing room.

Through much of 2025, the numbers haven’t been kind. Her scoring average has dipped from 13.6 to 9.1, and her shooting percentage has plummeted from 39.1% to just 30.9%. It’s been a frustrating start, one that left fans and analysts alike wondering whether the sophomore slump had set in.

None more vocal than analyst Rosalina Lee, who, after the Fever loss, questioned the fit between Reese and fellow frontcourt presence Kamilla Cardoso. “I don’t know, it’s very hard to see Angel Reese and Kamy Cardoso together,” Lee said. “I think that they could be better versions of themselves playing for different teams.”

That pressure hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff either. “I think we want to get everyone going offensively,” coach Tyler Marsh had said before the Liberty game. “But, yeah, we want Angel to be more involved… We gotta find areas to put people in the best positions to be successful.”

In other words, Chicago needs more than hustle and rebounding from Reese. Her league-leading 12.3 boards per game are impressive, but for a Sky squad aiming for the WNBA playoffs, their offensive punch is sorely lacking.

When Jeff Pagliocca moved draft capital for veterans, he wasn’t just chasing wins—he was trying to build something bigger. “You’re thinking about creating a winning culture so free agents look at you and say, ‘I want to go play there,’” Vandersloot had explained. But after games like the 20-point drubbing by Indiana, that culture looks more aspirational than actual.

And yet—on nights like this—Reese shows why that vision isn’t dead yet. Her performance against an undefeated Liberty team wasn’t just a season-high; it was a spark. Whether that spark ignites something more remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a badly needed step in the right direction.

She’s still got the BET Sportswoman of the Year crown—now the Sky need her to play like it, night in and night out.