Angel Reese’s last two free throws, with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime, were the last points on the board for the night as the Atlanta Dream won Game 2, 101-98, against the New York Liberty. While Reese has been massive for the Dream all season, many critics rely on the fact that most of her contribution comes from grabbing what they call “me-bounds”, or rebounds off shots she herself has missed. But after Game 2 of the Liberty-Dream series came to a close, one veteran WNBA journalist breaks down why the impact that Reese brings may not even show up on the stat sheet.
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Noa Dalzell, host of WNBA Today on CLNS, spoke about how Angel Reese has impacted the Atlanta Dream in more ways than just rebounding. She elaborated on why she thought Angel Reese was the series-changing player in the Liberty-Dream series, per the clip posted to X by WNBA on CLNS.
“The series-changing player, I thought it was Angel Reese. Once again, her stat line is remarkable… I’m not trying to just come on here and glaze Angel Reese every episode, but if you are someone who just values winning and impacting winning. I watch Angel Reese play, and it’s not just the rebound she secures; it’s the commotion she causes underneath the basket that allows her teammates to get rebounds.
“Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard, they’re able to secure rebounds when Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones are on the floor because Angel Reese causes that havoc underneath the basket, because everybody knows that she is going to go for every single rebound.”
What Dalzell is talking about is intent. Reese has led the league all season in rebounds, and that is what makes her a fierce target. All opponents know that if a ball comes off the backboard or the rim, Reese will be there to grab the offensive rebound and put it right back in. Her mere presence near the paint causes all guards to focus their attention on not letting the ball get into her hands.
This allows others like Hillmon and Howard to pick up the rebounds and add twos to the Dream’s score.
Angel Reese came into the league making almost as much noise as Caitlin Clark. Reese and the LSU Tigers were defeated by Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight round in 2024, and their fierce college rivalry has carried forward to the WNBA. Reese was drafted seventh overall in 2024 by the Chicago Sky and hasn’t stopped lighting up the stat sheet since.
In her very first season, Reese averaged an astounding 13.1 rebounds per game over 34 games while adding 13.6 PPG. Her scoring has only improved over time, and she became one of only two players this season to average a double-double in the 2026 regular season – 16.4 PPG and 12.1 RPG.
This year, she made a playoff appearance with the Atlanta Dream in her first year with the team, leading the Dream and the league in rebounds all season. The third-year forward became the first-ever WNBA player to reach 500 rebounds in a single season, grabbing 521 boards in 2026. She also set WNBA records with her 206 offensive rebounds and 32 double-doubles. Her incredible regular-season performance has even earned her the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Mystics-Dream series is the perfect example of how impactful Reese is for the Dream. In the Dream’s 2-0 sweep of the Washington Mystics, Reese averaged 14 points and 9.5 rebounds, as Washington utilized its tall frontcourt, including Shakira Austin and Lauren Betts, to guard her. But on the defensive end, she made four blocks and two steals in the two games.
In the two games she has played so far against the Liberty, she scored her playoff high in Game 2, with 23 points after recording 17 in Game 1, with seven rebounds in both. She also added five steals and five blocks in the two games combined. While there was an officiating controversy in the dying seconds of the 101-98 Game 2, Dream took home both wins.
Reese will look to close out Game 3 in a similar fashion, but Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu will want to force a Game 4. The Dream and Reese will be at a slight disadvantage, as Game 3 will happen at Barclays Center in front of a roaring Liberty fanbase. But backed by Howard, Hillmon, and Jordin Canada, Reese will hope her gravity can keep the offense-heavy Liberty off her teammates’ backs.