Angel Reese’s latest work hints at a major opportunity for her in the upcoming WNBA postseason.
Angel Reese continues to be downright demonic for WNBA record-book keepers this season.
Reese set yet another numerical landmark when her Atlanta Dream went into the FIBA World Cup break with an 89-81 upset victory over the Minnesota Lynx. A haul of 15 points and 11 rebounds―earned while holding Lynx franchise face Napheesa Collier scoreless on four tries in one-on-one play―granted Reese her 29th double-double of the season, breaking a single-campaign record she shared with Alyssa Thomas of the 2023 Connecticut Sun.
Reese previously set new league records for most rebounds in a game and season (ironically doing both in the same game) and was also the fastest to both 70 double-doubles and 1,000 rebounds.
“It really doesn’t surprise me,” Reese said in the aftermath of her latest achievement, per Megan Hall and Cydney Henderson of USA Today. “I don’t take any moment for granted at all, because this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and a lot of people really, really wish they could be here. So, I’m really grateful, and I’m really excited. So every milestone, every record is just destined to knowing who I am.”
Wading into waters of the Reese legacy debate pool is a dive into a minefield. Her gargantuan rebound totals are undeniably partly inflated by putting back her own misses. Nearly three years into her professional career, it’s clear that her style of play isn’t for everyone, not that Reese has ever granted much attention to public perception.
Reese Shooting At Peace
A golden opportunity to create an indisputable shift in her reputation may soon surface. It’s a literal Dream come true, one that’s set to have Reese taking her talents to the postseason for the first time. With Atlanta’s playoff spot long clinched, it could appear that Reese is getting hot at the perfect opportunity.
The most common complaint about Reese’s game is that she adheres too strictly to traditional interior antics, particularly when it comes to shooting: just over 80% of her tries from the field come from less than five feet from the basket. It’s enough for many to facetiously champion Reese as the founder of “mebounds,” the act of getting back one’s own misfire from close range.
Old habits have lived on for Reese: in Atlanta’s final six before the FIBA World Cup break, she hasn’t broken away from the restricted area much, as all but eight of her 80 field goal tries have come in the paint. But deeper numbers hint at a sense of flow and separation.
Reese has shot 53.8% in the last six, rounding out the top 10 among women shooting at least 10 times per game (tied with Washington All-Star Kiki Iriafen). That’s the best six-game output Reese has had on the accuracy charts since her Atlanta career began and the second-best of all her postings to date when she has at least 80 tries in such a span.
Additionally, just under 63% of Reese’s successful field goals have had an assist attached to them, 18 helpers from either Jordin Canada or Allisha Gray. That’s up from the 54.7% she had at the start of July over the first two months of the season.
Angel Reese now has the WNBA record for most double-doubles in a season (29)
Earlier this week she broke the WNBA record for rebounds in a single game (26) and single season (458) on the same night! pic.twitter.com/JCLHlzLKkh
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 30, 2026
The Dream’s Alive
It has long been established that Atlanta was probably the best place Reese could’ve ended up considering she’s the latest addition to the era led by Gray and Rhyne Howard. Any misfires from the sharpshooting bunch further complemented by Canada and Naz Hillmon were prone to land in her expansive reach and the prophecy has, quite obviously, been fulfilled to the tune of her historic rebounding digits.
Reese can soon put the “V” in MVP for maybe not a league but a franchise eager to snap a lengthy streak of hard luck on the hardwood.
With four games left on most dockets, Atlanta is on the pole in the race for the fourth slot that guarantees homecourt advantage in at least one playoff round. They can perhaps finish third, being one game behind the defending Las Vegas Aces with their break officially underway.
It continues a streak of excellence that Gray and Howard have ushered in since they first collaborated in 2023, as the Dream has the fourth-most wins in the WNBA since then. However, the two have yet to procure advancement on the playoff bracket, continuing a streak that dates back to 2017. The nine-year drought is the longest on the active WNBA ledgers.
In other words, if Reese’s presence proves to be the difference between a bittersweet bout and a succulent season, it’s going to be hard to deny her impact. It would also fulfill a prophecy put forth after but a few heavenly practices with Reese, who is set to partake in the United States’ World Cup run that gets underway on Friday in Berlin against China (8:15 a.m. ET, TNT).
“Angel (Reese) being the beast that she is on the boards … it’s just amazing to see the things that she does. Day in and day out, every single game,” said Canada postgame. “I have never seen anything like it to be honest, and I’m glad she’s on our team. She’s able to get us more possessions. She’s able to create for herself. She’s able to do it all … she brings that grit, that tenacity, that attitude that we need, that we’ve been missing.”
Geoff Magliocchetti on X @GeoffJMags
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