Point forward Angel Reese? What her triple-double means.

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese recently earned her first career triple-double, a sign that Reese is going deeper into bag. Growth like that helps not just the Sky but her WNBA development, too.
Chicago hasn't been good this season. Before winning 78-66 against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, the Sky were 2-7. Fair or not, Reese received a lot of online ridicule during their season as one of the faces of the franchise. Much of the chatter has been about her ability to finish at the rim, grabbing rebounds and anything else fans felt she wasn't bringing to the table as the team struggled.
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'She's had some great games, and she's had some games like everybody else that haven't been her best," Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said of Reese. "But she's our best chance at versatility on this roster. We need more production out of her, but we need her to help us in other ways, too."
What Pagliocca seemed to be hinting at is that for the Sky to be successful, Reese needed to find other ways to be impactful. Enter point-forward Angel Reese.
With starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot out for the season, Reese, a former point guard, unlocked her underrated passing skills (she had 11 assists) against the Sun and showcased a potential new path for her to get the most out of her WNBA career.
Seeing 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists from Reese means one thing: She should lean into going full Alyssa Thomas. What does going full Alyssa Thomas mean? Allow me to explain.Thomas isn't a high-volume shooter. She's very calculated with her shots. The Phoenix Mercury forward typically averages around five to eight shots a matchup (sometimes higher, depending on the situation), and most of her work is done near or around the basket. Like Reese, she's a very good rebounder, but she's also a fantastic passer.
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When you combine those abilities, you have a very effective player and a triple-double machine. Thomas currently owns 15 of the 44 triple-doubles in WNBA history, the most by any individual player. What's more, she led the league in assists in 2023 and was second in assists in 2024, behind only Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
Now, Reese may not suddenly start churning out triple-doubles regularly, but if she's able to put together a winning formula for effectiveness like she did against Connecticut, her double-doubles could be a healthy mix of points and rebounds and also points and assists. Additionally, any future triple-doubles wouldn't feel as uncommon because she would already be leaning into scoring, crashing the boards, and facilitating a lot more as she grows.
Transparently, Reese doesn't have to do it all for Chicago, and she doesn't have to be a particularly high scorer to make her presence felt or help the team win. Now, it's on head coach Tyler Marsh and his staff to figure out the right mix of production for Reese moving forward. Her development awaits.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Angel Reese triple-double could mean Sky star is a point forward