Angel Reese’s return to Unrivaled is about more than just star power; for the defending champion Rose BC, it’s about survival.

After initially opting out of Unrivaled’s second season, the Chicago Sky star has officially rejoined Rose BC, which has immediately shifted the energy around the defending champions. But while the headlines focused on her star power, one WNBA executive cut straight to what actually matters.

During a recent media appearance, Renee Montgomery, the co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, delivered a pointed assessment of her return, separating the hype from the hardwood reality.

“Angel Reese is heavy around here. There’s motion behind the ‘Angel Reese’ name, but even all that aside, they actually need what she will provide,” she said. “They need defense. That’s where they’re struggling at since the beginning of the season to now. There are two clear differences to when they were winning a lot and when they are not winning a lot right now.”

She further added, “And it’s the defensive side. It’s the rebounding. I also think getting Chelsea Gray, somebody that can pick and roll with her and give her time to just relax. A lot of people sleep on the skill set, but it’s not. That’s not what they need. They need her to be the Defensive Player of the Year that she was last year, so I think all the fanfare aside, she’s the exact player that the Rose needs.”

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As per Montgomery, her return isn’t a marketing strategy, but about the Rose BC’s survival.

In the 2026 Unrivaled season, the defending champions haven’t exactly looked like a team that won a championship. Yes, so far they have played their games without Angel Reese, who was a key contributor to their success in the last season, but can the absence of one player affect a team so much?

Rose BC currently sits in fifth place in the standings with 5 wins and 6 losses. But it was their loss against the Mist BC, which exposed their interior issues. In 2025, this club was the league’s best rebounding team. However, this year, they’ve fallen to the bottom, averaging just 30 boards per game.

While Chelsea Gray has continued to carry this team by taking the scoring load on herself and averaging 25.1 points per night, the trade that sent Azurá Stevens out left a noticeable gap, one that Angel Reese will now fill.

Though Reese initially chose to sit out the season following a turbulent end to her campaign with the Sky that included a suspension and a lingering lower-back injury, her Unrivaled return comes at a much-needed time, especially with ongoing WNBA CBA negotiations creating uncertainty.

Angel Reese’s 2025 Unrivaled Dominance Is Exactly What Rose Needs

During the inaugural season of Unrivaled, Reese:

• averaged 13.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.
• led the league in rebounding.
• was named Unrivaled’s first Defensive Player of the Year.
• recorded the league’s first 20-point, 20-rebound performance, which set the tone for what dominance looks like in a 3-on-3 format.

Those are precisely the areas that Montgomery highlighted regarding where the Rose BC is struggling this time. So they aren’t just getting a star back, but the identity that made them early title favorites. She will team up with Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, and Lexie Hull to try to secure another title.

So with Gray orchestrating the offense, Copper attacking downhill, and Hull stretching the floor, Reese doesn’t need to score 20 points every night to get their dominance back. But she will need to anchor the backline, dominate the glass, and clean up possessions.

With her debut all set to take place on Feb. 20 against Hive BC, if Angel Reese returns as the DPOY version of herself, Rose BC’s season could flip quickly in their favor.