Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon has been impressed with the development she has seen from Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. So has superstar A’ja Wilson.
When the Aces (8-6) take on the Sky (6-9) Sky on June 27 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, it will be the first time the two teams will have met this season, and despite having a better record, the Aces aren’t expecting to walk away with an easy win.
Reese is fresh from setting a WNBA rookie record for consecutive double-doubles after she got her eighth straight in a win over the Indiana Fever on June 23. You can count Hammon among those who recognize the way Reese’s game has evolved over the past few months.
“Her shooting, her finishing, has improved drastically,” Hammon told Fox 5 Vegas’s Paloma Villicana on June 24. “Her free throws look good, her form — everything looks good. She’s doing something right.”
2-Time Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson Also Has Words of Support for Reese
Reese’s stat line has been impressive through her first 15 games. The Sky rookie is averaging 13.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists and has scored 20-plus points twice over her last five games. Reese is currently seventh in the WNBA’s All-Star voting, with Fever guard Caitlin Clark the only other rookie vote-getter in the top 10.
The player receiving the most All-Star votes so far, Aces forward and two-time reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, also had some glowing things to say about Reese’s hot start in the “W.”
“It’s huge. I feel like I said it around the Super Bowl. I was just like: ‘That is going to be Angel’s biggest thing: translation.’ Translating over from college to the pros is just rebounding the basketball. She has a knack for it and that’s not what a lot of people have. So, it’s pretty cool to kind of see her flourish in that situation and flourish in life,” Wilson said, via ClutchPoints.
“I know there’s a lot that could be on her,” Wilson added. “A lot that could be around her, but she still still comes in and is consistent for her team. So that’s huge. You don’t see that in a lot of rookies. I’m grateful that she’s doing that in her own journey and in her own way.”
Angel Reese: A’ja Wilson Is a Player I Look Up to
Reese and Wilson, both forwards who excel in the paint, have a similar game. When she finished with a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds against Chicago, Reese became the first player since Wilson to score at least 25 points and haul in at least 15-plus boards.
“I love A’ja,” Reese told reporters after the Sky’s win over the Fever. “She was mentoring me when I was (in college) at Maryland, and she’s been someone I’ve always tried to model my game after on and off the court.”
Now, both Wilson and Reese will face off for the very first time.
The Aces have won six games in a row against the Sky. We’ll see if Reese and company can change the way the series has flowed of late.
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Aces Coach Becky Hammon Has 7-Word Descriptor for Sky Star Angel Reese