With Angel Reese’s recent record-breaking run, becoming the first WNBA player to record 10 straight double-doubles, eclipsing the record set by GOAT candidate Candace Parker, analysts and prognosticators who were drinking the Caitlin Clark juice like it was the fountain of youth, are realizing what The Shadow League has been telling everyone since ‘Chi Barbie’ dropped to No. 7 overall in the WNBA Draft.
Angel Reese is a dawg with a different game than Clark, but with equal impact. She’s definitely a leader and handles adversity better. Clark is more of an offensive-minded player and her ability to hit long range shots, makes her more appealing to the average fan, especially in this era of basketball. Clark is always looking for the sensational finish. Reese is more workman-like, seems to play within herself better.
“She knows what she does best,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said after Reese’s team battled hard but eventually lost to the Las Vegas Aces last week. “The one thing about her is that she is incredibly hard on herself. As far as rebounding the ball, we knew that would translate over [from college]. And she’s getting a better understanding of how to score around the rim. She’s learning and she’s learning fast.”
Clark’s passing ability is what stands out the most right now in her game, although she is still chucking those threes up any chance she gets. Clark’s stat line of 16.2 ppg, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists also puts her in historic territory for a rookie. Her field goal percentage has risen of late to 39.4 percent. She should get it above 40 percent by the time the season ends
Angel Reese Was Never A No. 7 Overall Pick: Easily Top 3
Reese has been the heart and soul of a Chicago Sky team that lacks any consistent perimeter threats or big-time All-Star scorers. Teresa Weatherspoon has built this team from scratch and impressed a defensive mentality that Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso can both relate to in addition to using their size to take advantage of their opponents when they can.
It seemed egregious that a player with Reese’s college résumé of All-America, NCAA championship MVP and the only other person outside of Caitlin Clark that you can personally thank for the explosion in interest concerning women’s basketball, would drop so low in the draft.
“Every championship intangible that she showed in college was overlooked by WNBA Scouts,” said Mark Williams of Team Footprintz, a basketball training organization that works with the elite women’s players from across the country, including Dyaisha Fair, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Aces. Fair finished her career at Syracuse as the third-leading all-time scorer in NCAA women’s hoops history with 3,403 points. “She and Clark were the two best and most captivating players in college for a reason. This remains true at the pro level.”
Whatever made these franchises choose Cardoso and Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon over an obvious franchise changer with 3.4 million IG followers for a built-in fan base like Reese was a mystery to many on draft day and looks somewhat foolish when you consider that none of those other draft picks have proved to be foundational pieces with the impact that Reese has had.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Have Elevated Women’s Basketball
Through it all, you had Reese trying to win games on the court and dealing with constant media onslaughts and her IG interactions. You also have Clark, who became America’s sweetheart but also feels the pressures and the pushback that comes with an elevating social profile.
And Clark’s hype spread around the world quicker than Kendrick Lamar’s final blow to Drake’s legacy as a true hip-hop artist. Or the right hands that dropped Rick Ross and his entire crew this past weekend after they played “Not Like Us” at an event in Drake’s backyard of Canada.
Despite both of their WNBA teams having losing records and being at the bottom of the league in wins, the Indiana Fever just secured their first win over a team with a .500 or better record when they defeated Phoenix on Sunday. Chicago always plays hard and is a tough draw for even the best teams. The foundations in both Indiana and Chicago are solid.
The fringe fans who never really paid an iota of attention to the WNBA in the past, mostly wanted to see if Cailtin Clark could become prime Steph Curry in her first season.
The next Larry Bird. But even Larry Legend had a worthy adversary in Magic Johnson, and they traded turns getting the best of each other, which took the NBA to another stratosphere because everybody of every race ate on their watch and was invested in the league.
There’s never been a rivalry like this in WNBA history. If you listen to the podcasts by the old NBA heads, they are all for the drama because they know what sells a league outside of the elite play.
When Reese got called for a flagrant on a hard foul on Clark in their second matchup, some people tried to make it a negative occurrence. A crime perpetrated by a villain against a saint. Those narratives ran wild, but true hoops fans knew it was the beginning and continuance of something special. Something GREAT for the league. There was an energy.
We have had some matchups between elite players that were glorious, but the national sports interest just wasn’t there.
Angel Reese Wins BET’s Sportswoman of the Year Award
We have to let the story play out now. Reese just won BET’s Sportswoman of the Year Award. More proof of her exceptional standing in her community. Expect Cark to continue to win her awards as well. The Rookie of the Year battle will go down to the wire. Both women are leading as the top two players, and both are bringing their growing fan bases with them.
Angel Reese was never a No. 7 pick. She told you and showed you as much. There are two horses pulling the WNBA wagon.
