A birthday won’t slow Angel Reese down. With less than 24 hours until she turns 24, the focus could’ve easily shifted to the celebration. But with high expectations in Atlanta and a mixed preseason, her head coach has made one thing clear – the Chi-Barbie is chasing something bigger than All-Star status. And what that “bigger” seems like, is only just starting to take shape.

“Just getting to work with her every day, her attitude about stuff, her wanting to get better, she wants to be held accountable,” Karl Smesko said in his coversation with the media. “She’s an all-star player, but she wants to be the best player, so it just makes it fun to go to work when you’re dealing with players who really are motivated to get better every day.”

That line right there says everything.

After a surprising trade which sent her to the Atlanta Dream from the Chicago Sky, Reese isn’t walking into Atlanta trying to fit in. She’s stepping in with the mindset to elevate, both herself and the team. And that shift matters, especially considering where she’s coming from. For her first two seasons, Angel Reese was the centerpiece of the Sky. She dominated the glass, led the league in rebounding, and consistently created second-chance opportunities. But team success didn’t follow, with Chicago finishing near the bottom of the standings last year.

But now, the situation looks completely different. In Atlanta, she joins a team that’s coming off a strong 30–14 season. However, what they did last season is just a needle in the haystack because it’s their belief in Reese that stands out. “I do believe that Angel is the missing piece that we need to take us over the top,” Allisha Gray said making it clear what her arrival means.

And it’s easy to see why. Even in limited preseason minutes, she showed flashes of how she can impact the game. Across two games that the Dream played, she averaged 9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 7 free throw attempts in just 12 minutes per game. But her value goes beyond scoring. Her elite offensive rebounding can create extra possessions for a Dream offense that already thrives on high-volume three-point shooting. More rebounds mean more shots, and more shots mean more chances to capitalize on the spacing Atlanta has built around its perimeter threats. Still, coach Smesko has no plan to rush anything.

“I think we’re all aware that the expectations for the Dream are sky high this year… We also understand that no matter what happens, the first couple of games, everybody’s going to overreact to it… No matter how the first two games go, you keep getting better, and if you do that, things will work out in the end. And we want to be as good as we can at the beginning,” he said.

“But realistically, in essentially ten to 12 practices, there’s gonna still be a lot of work that needs to be done to play great basketball. So as a coach, it’s hard to be patient, but you also have to be realistic, too.”

Reese is already a 2x WNBA All-Star, but now she wants to become the best. And if early signs from the WNBA GMs are anything to go by, she might already be on the right path.

Angel Reese Effect? Dream’s Title Buzz Is Already Getting Loud

With the latest WNBA GM’s survey in, there’s already a growing confidence in what Reese and the Dream can become this season because Atlanta has emerged as one of the few teams seen as legitimate title contenders.

While the Las Vegas Aces led the voting with 40% and the New York Liberty followed with 33%, the Dream were the only other team to receive votes, earning 27% from general managers. The Dream had finished third in the 2025 WNBA standings and are expected to fine-tune their areas of improvements heading into 2026.

That says a lot! Because just months ago, Angel Reese was leading a Chicago Sky team that struggled to a 10–34 finish. Now, she’s part of a roster that’s not only winning but is also being viewed as a serious threat to go all the way. The Fever and the Dream will face off at least four times this year and so, Reese and Clark might share the same court a couple of times if there are no unforeseen injuries to either to them.

But lets be honest, this survey, also adds another layer to her growing rivalry with Caitlin Clark. With both of them all set to face off on June 4 when the Indiana Fever host the Dream, the upcoming game will all be about proving the managers right for Reese. So while Reese is stepping into a situation where the expectations are rising fast, Clark is entering the season with something to prove.

If those predictions hold true, Reese won’t just be chasing greatness, she could be reaching the Finals, and possibly a title faster than her arch-rival. And for a player who’s already made it clear she doesn’t want to settle for just being an All-Star, that kind of trajectory fits the goal perfectly.