Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have already shown that their friendship gives Team USA a competitive edge. Now, after a playful practice moment between the pair has gone viral, Bueckers offered a clear explanation of why their relationship works so well.
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During an interview with Lisa Kamushka on Team USA’s The Pull Up show on YouTube, Bueckers was asked about her friendship with Angel Reese, with the host calling Reese her “twin.” Bueckers admitted the comparison makes sense in some ways.
“We have a lot of similarities. We also have a lot of differences,” Bueckers said. “We both wear number five. We both like to talk trash, so that relationship is great. I mean, you can see it as competitors, but also you can see it as friends. We have the same mindset of going at each other, being a dog, but also just a goofy, fun personality off the court, so it’s all fun,” said Bueckers on The Pull Up.
Reese and Bueckers have been close friends for much of their professional careers, and heading into the World Cup, both have been two of the most solid options for the team so far.
In fact, the pair are among the top four scorers on Team USA, with Bueckers averaging 10.3 points per game and Angel Reese logging 8.7 points per game. The only two players who score more than them are Jackie Young and Breanna Stewart, and what makes their output all the more impressive is that they’re doing this off the bench.
Their impact isn’t limited to offense either. Bueckers and Reese are the only two players averaging 1+ blocks and steals per game, with Bueckers logging 1.3 blocks and steals. Angel matches her in steals, but sits slightly behind in blocks at 1.0.
Their off-court relationship recently drew attention when, during a recent Team USA practice, Reese issued Bueckers a friendly challenge. In an exchange caught on camera and posted to the WNBA’s Instagram account, several players are seen arguing about whether one of the rims at the practice facility was too low.
“I can grab that,” Bueckers said, jumping into the conversation.
Reese then challenged Bueckers to do it in front of the team, and soon after, after taking a running start, the guard managed to tap the rim on her way up. However, that wasn’t enough for Reese.
“That wasn’t enough, babe,” Angel Reese joked.
The clip dropped just hours before their game against the Czech Republic, which Team USA completely dominated. Reese and Bueckers performed great, with Reese recording perhaps her best outing of the tournament so far.
She ended the game with 13 points, the second-highest mark on the team, on 4-of-5 from the field, but only 5-of-11 from the charity stripe. She also added six rebounds and three steals. Meanwhile, Bueckers recorded an efficient 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, along with five assists and no turnovers.
That chemistry has been present since the tournament tipped off, and it has been a key need for the team without two of their top performers. Before the World Cup tipped off, it was revealed that veterans A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, two stalwarts of the American international program, had dropped out of the tournament due to injuries, putting even more pressure on the young core.
Fortunately, everyone involved has played great, and Angel Reese in particular has even earned solid praise from head coach Kara Lawson. Following Team USA’s close win against Italy, Lawson singled out Reese for her effort and energy on a night where she was not pleased with most of the team.
“She comes into the game, and she plays with great energy,” Lawson said in the post-game press conference. “And she competes, she scores, she rebounds, she plays with great pace. It’s what you want in a player, in a young player, to come in and do that. And so that’s what I appreciate more about her. She finds a way to make an impact.”
Now, as the US comfortably moves past the group stage of the World Cup, this duo will definitely be worth keeping an eye out for.