Angel Reese Posts Another Strong Performance, Will It Quiet The Haters?

Chicago Sky second-year forward Angel Reese is on quite the hot streak on the court. I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably considered among those who are "Angel Reese haters." Although, I don't consider myself a "hater." That being said, I've been hard on Reese in the past, entirely because of her poor performances (and often poor attitude). 

But, being a respectable reporter and journalist, I feel a duty to point it out when Reese does well. And she has been playing good basketball over the past few games. That continued Sunday in a Chicago Sky win over the Los Angeles Sparks, with Reese scoring 24 points (on a respectable 10 of 19 FG), grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. 

She became the first player in WNBA history to record four straight games with at least 15 rebounds. 

Now, I know what you're thinking. "How many of the rebounds were actually ‘mebounds’?" (If you're unaware, "mebounds" is the term invented by social media to describe when Reese misses a layup and gets her own rebound). Well, on Sunday, she had two "mebounds". And the majority of her boards during this stretch (42 of 70) have come from the defensive end, which are – by definition – not "mebounds." 

But, because I knew you'd ask, I did look to see how many "mebounds" she grabbed out of those 70. And the answer is six. So, even without the "mebounds," Reese has averaged 16 boards per game in her past four contests. She's also averaged 17 points over that stretch and recorded a double-double in every game. 

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is in the middle of the best stretch of her young WNBA career and posted a strong effort in a win on Sunday over the Los Angeles Sparks.

(David Gonzales/Imagn Images)

Now, the shooting percentage still hasn't been great for a post player, with Reese shooting 45% over the past four games. Plus, Chicago has gone 2-2 in those four, with both wins coming against the 5-12 Los Angeles Sparks. And the team doesn't seem to benefit from her being on the floor, at least according to her plus-minus. Reese has posted -24 during this four-game run, and she's among the worst players in the WNBA in plus-minus for the season. 

Reese averages -10.5 in plus-minus for the season, the fifth-worst among players who have competed in at least 10 games. All four players who are worse play for the 2-14 Connecticut Sun. 

Damn, I promised I was going to "give Angel Reese her flowers" (as the kids say nowadays) and talk positively about her and I couldn't help but point out the negative. 

Still, it's been a strong run for Reese as she makes her case to reach the WNBA All-Star Game for the second straight season. There's no question Reese deserves to be an All-Star because, love her or hate her, she draws eyeballs and attention. There's something to be said about that.