Proper earlier than the beginning of the season, the Atlanta Dream pulled off one of the vital shocking transactions in latest WNBA historical past.
Buying former Chicago Sky star Angel Reese was considerably shocking, however she’s been a seamless match of their system.
Watching a younger and struggling crew just like the Sky surrender on a possible star simply after two years was a bit surprising.
That is why, after a few months to course of every part, Reese lastly shared her aspect of the story earlier than the sport vs. the Dallas Wings, explaining why she really needed to play for the Dream.
Angel Reese needed to play for Karl Smesko
“ final yr and the success that they had below one yr with Karl [Smesko],” Reese told the media (h/t Meghan L. Corridor). “I watched Karl when he was with FGCU, and after I was at Maryland, I performed towards him. I used to be simply seeing how the participant improvement was for him and the way he developed Naz [Hillmon] in a single yr, and the way I needed that.”
The Dream took an enormous leap final season below Smesko. Brionna Jones and Hillmon made huge strides as three-level scorers, and now that they’ve acquired among the finest rebounders the sport has ever seen, this crew must be a drive to be reckoned with.
“Simply with the ability to discover someplace that matches with me. I knew off the court docket this was going to be the place for me. On the court docket, I needed to do one thing to assist a crew get to the championship as a result of I’ve gained at each degree, and I need to win a WNBA championship it doesn’t matter what it seems to be like for me,” added Reese.
Reese clearly nonetheless must work on a number of features of her sport, particularly ending and her handles, so enjoying for a coach with a knack for participant improvement can work wonders for her.
Nonetheless, even with some obtrusive holes in her sport, she’s a dominant inside presence, a bodily rebounder and one of the vital versatile defensive gamers within the sport.
Even when she by no means develops a constant layup bundle or ending expertise, her defensive prowess will nonetheless make her a invaluable asset on the court docket.
