Sky HC Makes Stunning Claim On Angel Reese’s Place In History After Latest Milestone Vs Aces

Angel Reese may be missing the playoffs for the second straight season, but her growth this year deserves all the praise. At least she has made a place on the Chicago Sky. Remember how things started? In her first eight games, she averaged just 10.1 points on 35.8% shooting. But as the season went on, Reese silenced her critics, improving with every game. Candace Parker summed it up best when asked about her potential: “I think it’s endless, honestly… the sky is the limit.” And her coach, Tyler Marsh, has only doubled down on that belief.

The Sky couldn’t pull off a win against the Aces, but Angel Reese was one of their brightest spots. She dropped 10 points and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, securing her 20th double-double of the season. With that performance, Reese made history! She now holds the record for the most double-doubles in her first two seasons, surpassing Tina Charles’ 45 with the Sun back in 2010-11.

And coach Marsh was quick to back her historic performance as new facts emerged. In just her second year, she’s already cementing herself as one of the Chicago Sky’s best rebounders in franchise history. She’s cracked the top 10 overall in rebounds, sits in the top 5 for offensive boards, and is also top 10 in defensive rebounds—a rare balance that shows she impacts both ends of the floor. Speaking in the postgame conference, he said, “Yeah, I mean, she’s in year two, and I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that she’s one of, and on her way to being, probably the greatest rebounder in basketball history.”

According to ESPN, Reese has already piled up 763 rebounds and leads the league with 12.7 boards per game. She also became the first player this season to hit the 20 double-double mark, and that’s after missing 10 games due to leg and back injuries. With the league expanding and more games being added, even Tina Charles’ current record of 4,223 rebounds and counting could be in danger in the coming years. But rebounding has always been a strong part of her game. This season, we saw her improve her shooting as well, and this is also something Tyler Marsh mentioned, expressing his pride in the improvements she made.

“I think the thing that I’m most proud of is one of the first conversations that I had with her when I got the job was, I was like, ‘Look, we’re going to get your efficiency up.’ I was like, ‘It may look a little bit different in how you do it. Your offensive rebounds may be down a little bit, but that’s because your efficiency is going to be up. But I need your defensive rebounds to stay the same or get better.’ And so, I think that she’s made a really conscious effort to be a force on the defensive glass because you already know what she can give you on the offensive glass.”

Yes, Angel Reese’s efficiency has really gone up a notch this season. In her first six games, 44 of her 61 shot attempts came from the restricted area, but she converted just 31.8% of them, per CBS Sports. Among the top 10 players who took at least five shots there, that was the lowest percentage. And while she led the league with 7.3 attempts inside per game, she just couldn’t finish consistently. But that changed as the season progressed.

According to journalist Karli Bell’s July 15 tweet, Reese’s finishing around the rim skyrocketed over the past month. She was converting 56.5% of her shots from inside 5 feet before her injury. That’s a huge jump from where she started. It’s also worth noting that her rebounding numbers have gone down, just like Tyler Marsh predicted.

Her offensive rebounds,  or should we just say “mebounds,” because that’s how famous the term has become, dropped from 5.1 to 3.8. Overall, her total rebounds went down from 13.1 to 12.4, which is still a league-high number. After a historic rookie year, where she broke Candace Parker’s record of 12 consecutive double-doubles, Reese has seen her field goal efficiency jump from 39.1% to 45.8%.

This growth wouldn’t have been possible without the work she’s put in alongside Tyler Marsh and the guidance of a WNBA legend.

Lisa Leslie helps Angel Reese become better

Angel Reese has often gone on record crediting WNBA legend Lisa Leslie as a great mentor, even thanking her for helping elevate her game. It all started during a February episode of Unapologetically Angel, when Leslie called Reese the modern-day version of herself and offered to help her.

“The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your lay-ups. We’re going to fix that – it’s fixable for you. You’re going to get better, and I can help you get better,” Leslie said. She also made sure to give Reese her flowers, acknowledging that the 22-year-old’s overall skills have grown since joining the new 3×3 Unrivaled league.

Clearly, the work these two put in during the offseason has paid off. But this feels like just the beginning. The season might be over for Reese and the Sky now, but they’ll be looking to come back stronger next year. What are your thoughts on the Chicago Sky moving forward? Share them in the comments below.