Angel Reese is back in the headlines, and not exactly for the reasons she’d want. It has barely been a week since the Caitlin Clark scuffle took over, and the matters blew out of hands. But while the internet was still buzzing about that, Reese’s on-court decisions gave fans something else to talk about—and let’s just say, it wasn’t flattering.

After a rookie season with a record 446 boards and a league-best, we mean all-time, 13.1 total rebounds per game in her rookie season, the Chi-Town Barbie left no room for another to be crowed the rebounding queen. Cameron Brink would even go on to say, “Angel honestly needs to come out with a masterclass on offensive rebounding.” In fact, that comment had stemmed from 10-year veteran Dearica Hamby’s admission that she had looked towards Angel Reese for some rebounding.  

“I think Angel kind of inspired me a little,” she had said. But you know, it hasn’t always been that positive. Because here’s the thing—many of those rebounds for the Chicago Sky star came off her own missed layups. It’s been a sticking point for her critics, and on Thursday night, that narrative reared its head again.

During the Sky’s matchup against the New York Liberty, Reese turned what should’ve been a quick post move into a frustrating sequence. In the first quarter alone, she fired off multiple shots under the rim, missed them all, grabbed five rebounds in the same possession, and only then kicked it out to a teammate. The play quickly made the rounds online.

To be fair, her hustle was undeniable. But still, passing earlier might’ve saved her some heat. Angel Reese ended the quarter with zero points on 0-of-5 shooting—but seven rebounds. It took a few right back to her rookie season when the criticism was loud. It wasn’t for her rebounds. Even the critics would admit she’s great at it. It is the layups that follow. She addressed all of that noise on her podcast, admitting she knew she was a great rebounder; it was the offense she had to work on.

“I knew I had to tighten up on my offense — and [that’s] what I’m going to do in the offseason,” she had said. And well, we could see she did. Lisa Leslie became her personal mentor, she put up Unrivaled’s first 20-20 performance, and Tyler Marsh admitted she was working on getting those baskets. But the performance today seemed to have taken her back to square 1.

So, yes, fans started talking about it, and Caitlin Clark’s name also popped up in the reactions.

Angel Reese’s rocky start keeps fueling the Caitlin Clark comparison

Angel Reese didn’t exactly shy away from the mic after her team’s blowout loss to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. During a May 21 livestream with Amazon, the Chicago Sky forward was already looking ahead to their next home game. “Luckily, you always have another game,” she said. “And we have 43 more games, and I am super excited to play tomorrow back in front of our home crowd.” The energy was there. The optimism was clear. But unfortunately, that next game didn’t go as planned either.

Instead, Reese and the Sky suffered another brutal loss—this time to the New York Liberty, falling 99-74 at home. And it wasn’t just the scoreboard that took a hit. Reese went 0-for-8 from the field and managed just two points, both from free throws in the fourth quarter. Sure, she pulled down 12 rebounds (8 of them offensive) and snagged three steals. But as her missing layup clip from the game went viral, fan’s takes started flying.

In fact, the comment section was quick to compare her performance to Caitlin Clark. “Better than Clark tbh,” one fan wrote sarcastically. Another piled on with, “People really see this and think she’s better than CC lol.” Through two games, Reese has shot 5-of-22 with 10 turnovers, while the Sky’s -60 point differential is now the worst start in WNBA history. It’s not the kind of stat line that quiets critics. What it did instead was bring back a few memories from her rookie year. No, we aren’t talking the missed layups and rebounds.

Remember her “‘the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball isn’t just because of one person. It’s because of me, too,.’”? Yeah, after the poor showing, fans are pulling out the moment. “Who needs Caitlin Clark!? Angel Reese doing this is what’s selling out arenas!!” one wrote. While another followed with, “But this women’s said the WNBA most view because she play ahahaha.”

Still, there’s no denying both players move the needle. Their first matchup this season pulled in a whopping 2.7 million views- highest in the last 25 years across any ESPN platforms. But right now, it is the off-night for Reese that stands out.

“Or maybe there are other good players (like the players on the other team in this clip),” read a comment. While Reese is the foundation the Sky might be building around, it was Courtney Vandersloot and Rachel Banham that really shine for the evening; the latter even coming off the bench to drop team-high 15 points.

But it’s only been 2 games. Head coach Marsh has admitted Reese has really embraced their “new philosophy and new scheme, especially defensively.” So, it is only a matter of time.