WNBA journalist Noa Dalzell chose Angel Reese as her Defensive Player of the Year, while sharing her argument exploring Reese’s defensive stats.
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“Reese thrives according to numerous defensive analytics. She has the best defensive rating differential in the entire WNBA (-15.1).”
That was just the beginning of an in-depth exploration of the numbers. As fans filled the comments section with praise for Dalzell’s analysis, Two-time Sports Emmy Award winner Natalie Esquire argued on X that the fan reactions were only positive when the answer was something they were looking for.
“I find it funny that many fans who had such an issue with Noa in the past now think she’s the best thing since sliced bread (she is btw), but the tune changes when the outcome is what you want. Please just admit that & stop harassing media. And stop gaslighting about your antics.”
Esquire’s comment directly ties in to the criticism Dalzell faced back in May, when she publicly defended Caitlin Clark. Dalzell faced fierce backlash when she took Clark’s side on X against a basketball page that highlighted Clark’s defensive mistakes and output during the preseason games.
“This isn’t even the best example. But it sucks that one of the biggest women’s basketball accounts on Twitter constantly throws shots at one player.”
What followed was not criticism regarding Clark or her take, but simply because she chose to support the Indiana Fever star. Fans from all over the WNBA world barged into Dalzell’s comments section to complain about Dalzell’s apparent selectivity in defending or simply talking about players.
The consensus was that if it were any other player, Dalzell would not have brought the same energy to the table. And just like that, names like Angel Reese and Azzi Fudd also entered the conversation, with fans believing that if Dalzell cannot defend them when they have a bad outing, then she should keep the same energy regarding Clark.
But when Dalzell chose Reese as her DPOY, her comment section was rather pleasant, with fans appreciating her for giving the Dream star the recognition they feel she deserved. This is why Esquire believes that fans’ tones change when they find an answer they were hoping for.
Regardless, Angel Reese as DPOY is not an unpopular opinion, to say the least. According to Dalzell, the Dream forward has the best defensive rating differential in the entire WNBA (-15.1). This means that Dream opponents score 15.1 more points per 100 possessions when Reese is off the floor than when she is on the floor.
Dalzell also mentioned that Reese’s on-court presence directly correlates with the opposition’s efficiency worsening more than her own. This means that if Angel Reese is guarding your team’s player, your team is more likely to miss shots. And for the first time since 2022, Reese is the leader in the WNBA’s defensive win shares with 2.88, not A’ja Wilson.
Dalzell wrote about other advanced defensive statistics in her article, all of which favor Reese. So Dalzell’s idea of why she has chosen Reese as her No. 1 option for DPOY is because of such statistics, along with the fact that she is third in steals this season with 1.8, and, of course, the best rebounder the WNBA has seen in recent memory. Reese has averaged 12.4 rebounds per game this season, which is 1.3 more per game than the second-leading rebounder in the league, Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard.
Dalzell’s other options for DPOY include A’ja Wilson, Gabby Williams, and Kiah Stokes, but there is no doubt that Reese is currently in the driving seat to win her maiden DPOY in her first season with the Dream.