Averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game and leading the WNBA with 11.7 rebounds per game, it is safe to say that Angel Reese is having a strong individual season with the Atlanta Dream. For WNBA analyst Sabreena Merchant, all of that output and production is happening within a system that does not appear to be specifically for a player of Reese’s profile.

“I’m just really impressed with Angel because all she did in college was just get better, win more games,” Merchant said on Thursday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast. “And I don’t know why the consensus was that it wasn’t going to be able to happen when she was in the WNBA. I realized going to Atlanta is a very different fit. Karl Smesko’s system doesn’t seem like it’s exactly optimized for a player like Angel Reese. But she still found her way to be impactful for the Atlanta Dream.”

For Merchant, Angel Reese has consistently proven she can thrive regardless of the situation placed in front of her. She demonstrated it throughout college. And while some questioned whether her game would translate seamlessly to the WNBA, she’s one of the league’s most impactful players.

And now, despite her mismatch with head coach Karl Smesko’s system, Merchant believes Reese has done what she has always done throughout her basketball career. That is to adapt, improve, and find a way to make winning plays.

And to a large extent, Merchant’s assessment is accurate. Karl Smesko‘s system specifically emphasises three-point shooting and shots directly at the rim, while eliminating mid-range field goals entirely. An ideal Smesko offense functions best when all five players on the floor can credibly threaten from deep, pulling rim protectors away from the paint and creating driving lanes. 

Reese, however, is historically a traditional interior forward who generates her scoring through physical post-ups, putbacks, and paint presence rather than perimeter shooting. In fact, throughout the season, Reese has made just two three-pointers from 21 attempts, a conversion rate of 9.5 percent. 

But even amidst the system mismatch, Angel Reese has found a way to consistently make relevant contributions to the team. And as Smesko himself indicated, she’s a work in progress.

Karl Smesko Shares Encouraging Angel Reese 3-Point Shooting Update After Practice Progress

Despite the impressive production she has delivered so far this season, Angel Reese is still actively working to elevate her game and fit more naturally into Karl Smesko’s system, working on her shooting. Head coach Karl Smesko offered a genuinely positive update on the progress away from the game lights.

“She’s been really open to kind of changing her shot,” Smesko said in a postgame media availability last month. “It’s shown up in practice. She made three or four in a row in practice. But in the game, we haven’t had those same releases that we’ve had in practice. So, hopefully going forward, she’ll feel more comfortable with it, and it’ll show up in games more.”

The results have not yet shown up consistently on the court, but with continued practice and repetition, those improvements will inevitably begin to translate onto the court. And when they do, they will complement an already formidable skill set. A reliable three-point threat alongside everything Angel Reese is already doing will truly give the Dream something difficult for any opponent to game plan against.