Imagine this: you’re the star employee at your company, always hitting your targets, carrying the weight, but because your team underperforms, the overall results just don’t show it. Frustrated, you finally speak up, only to end up suspended for it. Harsh, right? Well, that’s pretty much what happened to Angel Reese. Her candid interview with the Chicago Tribune, which criticized the HC and teammates alike, stirred up a storm of headlines. However, her coach has still managed to come away with plenty of praise.

Ever since those comments, Reese hasn’t suited up, pointing to a lingering back issue. In the Sky’s final game of the season against the Liberty, with Reese still sidelined, broadcaster Shimmy Miller took the time to spotlight head coach Tyler Marsh and the job he’s done with this team.

A graphic then popped up on the screen. It laid out Chicago’s numbers under Tyler Marsh against their all-time marks across three key categories – points, offensive rebounds, and field goals made. As per the Xfinity Reliability Report, the Sky had scored 3,249 points, just 20 shy of their best-ever tally. They grabbed 427 offensive boards, only 7 short of the record. And they sank 1,202 field goals, missing the top spot by just 27. That’s when Shimmy Miller said:

“As an assistant, he was Becky Hammon’s right-hand man in Vegas, running that offense to perfection. And now look at what he’s done in just one season here in Chicago,despite the injuries, despite all the challenges. Several of these Sky players, Jason, are putting up the most efficient numbers of their careers under his system.”

Now, the video seemed to be from before the game tipped off, and the players could be seen warming up. So, it seems like Marsh has helped set a new Sky record with their 86 points, 26 rebounds, and 32 field goals against the defending champs. Credit where credit’s due. Michaela Onyenwere, Sevgi Uzun, Kamilla Cardoso, and Ariel Atkins all hit career-best efficiency marks. But none of them improved by more than 1.2%. That’s hardly a game-changer. The only real leap came from Reese, who bumped her efficiency by a strong 6.7%. So yes, Marsh deserves credit for unlocking more from Reese, but the bigger picture? The Sky as a whole still struggled.

And that’s exactly what the regular season showed. The Sky wrapped up 2025 at 10–34, somehow worse than the year before, even with more games on the calendar. Yes, injuries played a role, but finishing with fewer wins still feels underwhelming. The metrics paint the same bleak picture: they ranked dead last in defensive rating, just 12th in offensive rating, and never solved their turnover woes, averaging a league-worst 21.7 per game.

The only area worth real applause came from Angel Reese’s individual leap. How much of that growth was guided is something Reese herself could best answer, but her dominance speaks loudly. She closed the season leading the league in double-doubles, first in rebounds per game, and second in both total rebounds and offensive boards. That’s the kind of production that deserved a spotlight, even in a year otherwise defined by struggle.

To build on the Angel Reese saga, one former WNBA All-Star had her own take on how Reese could navigate this ordeal and shift the narrative back in her favor. One that has backfired.

Angel McCoughtry Has Strong Words for Angel Reese

On a recent episode of the Good Follow podcast, WNBA legend Angel McCoughtry, who, like Reese, is from Baltimore and went to the same high school, had some advice for her. McCoughtry urged Reese to turn her frustration into leadership. Her message was simple: take those concerns to the front office after the season, work on solutions, recruit vets, and collaborate on roster strategy.

But one particular quote from her has seemingly set social media on fire. The former Atlanta Dream star dropped a cryptic suggestion on how Reese could mend fences with her teammates. “Here’s the main thing: You’re not the only one having a bad season,” McCoughtry said. “Your teammates are struggling too, but they don’t have million-dollar endorsement deals. You know what I would do, Angel? I’d go to one of my sponsors and say, ‘Give me an extra $100K so I can give each of my teammates $10K, just to show them I care.’”

This is where the narrative gets tricky. Reese has often been recognized for her off-court contributions. From donating to Chicago communities, to gifting Beats headphones to teammates, to making sure they were featured alongside her in her McDonald’s commercial. Against that backdrop, the idea that she would be expected to pay teammates out of frustration with the season feels difficult to square.

With the 2025 campaign now closed for both Reese and the Sky, attention shifts to what comes next. Her future in Chicago is uncertain, with rumors already linking her to the Dallas Wings. What’s clear is that Reese delivered a strong individual season. Surrounded by a healthier roster or a more stable team context, it’s fair to wonder whether she might have been making playoff noise instead of heading into the offseason early.