Angel Reese’s Challenging Weekend: Injury and Struggles on Court

Angel Reese had an eventful weekend that concluded with an injury and one of her most challenging performances of this season. The Atlanta Dream star had to depart from Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago Sky, her former team, after experiencing an apparent issue with her left leg while attempting a layup early in the fourth quarter.

Injury Details:

Reese fell after missing the shot and briefly regained her footing before going down again. She later returned to the bench, with the team opting to rule her out for the rest of the game due to a left leg injury.

Before her exit, Reese’s performance had already been not favorable. The 24-year-old finished with eight points and five rebounds over 20 minutes, demonstrated by a poor shooting performance of 3-for-13 from the field, missed her sole three-point attempt, and committed three turnovers. With a minus-7 rating, her score was the lowest among Dream players, and she committed three fouls.

Rebounding Insights:

Reese secured only one defensive rebound, getting four offensive rebounds instead, including instances where she collected her own missed shots. Despite regularly excelling in rebounds, Sunday’s game did not reflect her typical prowess.

She entered the game averaging 15.7 points and leading in rebounds with 11.8 per contest. Her prior game against Toronto saw her achieving 23 points and 12 rebounds, marking her 17th double-double of the season. However, against the team that traded her, she notably missed 10 of 13 shots.

Injury Timing:

Notably, Reese played for 20 minutes before her injury occurred, only 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. Though the injury is unfortunate, it isn’t funny, and everyone hopes Reese avoided anything severe. Dream head coach Karl Smesko noted she was in “great spirits celebrating with her teammates” after the game, expressing her willingness to continue playing despite seeming in pain.

Despite her struggles, Atlanta still managed to secure a win. Jordin Canada’s game-winning layup allowed the Dream to achieve a 93-91 victory over the Sky, improving to 16-10 with Reese’s presence contributing to a 2-0 record against the Sky since her trade.

Future Considerations:

Reese has time to recover, as Atlanta’s next game is on July 29, though there’s concern about her participation in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 25. The league undoubtedly prefers her presence at this event, given her significant audience draw, second only to Caitlin Clark.

Dan Zaksheske is a reporter at OutKick.