From high-scoring production and rewriting the record books with her rebounding consistency to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, Angel Reese has delivered on almost all fronts. However, there is one key aspect of her game that still needs refining. While Reese’s shooting has certainly improved under coach Karl Smesko, a former teammate who does not see eye to eye with Reese, believes she needs to work on a particular aspect of her shooting.

In the latest episode of the Bird’s Eye View, Seattle Storm rookie Flau’jae Johnson, one of Reese’s teammates back at LSU, highlighted the art of three-point shooting as an area Reese will benefit from as she continues to level up her game.

“I would say offensively, that three-point shot, I seen a couple highlights on Instagram… she’s knocking them down, and I think that’s the difference. If she could consistently do that, like you got to play them straight up, and that opens up the lane. I think that’s the evolution of her game.” Johnson told Sue Bird during the episode.

Johnson also admired Angel Reese’s defensive efforts she puts in throughout a game, stating that she has no doubts about the 24-year-old in that aspect. It makes sense given that Reese now holds the title of DPOY, a recognition that five-time MVP A’ja Wilson dominated in recent years.

Johnson, respecting Reese’s game, reveals the now-professional relationship they share. During an episode of The Breakfast Club last year, Johnson said that she and Reese are no longer friends.

“It was a lot of media, it was a lot of locker room stuff, you know what I’m saying?” Johnson told the morning show last June. But she also revealed that she will always have a bond with Reese, thanks to their 2023 national championship victory against Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.

However, Johnson isn’t the first one to spot the gap in Angel Reese’s three-point shooting. The good news is that head coach Karl Smesko has been working towards that goal throughout the season.

Before Smesko, Angel Reese attempted only 0.6 shots from outside the arc per game. Now, that number has increased to 1.3. While her shooting efficiency was still under 20% in the regular season, the process has been gradual and revealing.

Game 3 against the New York Liberty in the semifinals, Reese scored 2-of-4 from the three-point line. Following the Dream’s 85-83 victory that sent them to the WNBA Finals, Reese revealed postgame that Smesko once stopped a drill during training camp and would not let the team resume until she made two shots from outside the arc in a row.

“It’s really hard for me not to want to rush success, and Karl told me how patient I had to be with it. I remember a [specific] moment in training camp where we were going through drills, and he stopped everybody and told me I had to make two in a row.

“You never want to let your teammates down, and we couldn’t resume the drill until I made two in a row. And I was upset with him that day for sure. Because I didn’t want to let the team down, I didn’t want to feel embarrassed by how long it coulda took me to make them. But now it’s like so easy,” Reese said.

The three-point evolution in the WNBA has been gradual, but highly telling in the modern era with the likes of high-volume shooters Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kayla McBride.

As a forward, Angel Reese is proficient in scoring and rebounding in the paint, helping her teammates out in defense as much as possible. Should she master long-range shooting as well, the Bayou Barbie has the potential to become one of the most complete players in the WNBA today.