After almost burning bridges with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese returned to her former home. She was traded to the Atlanta Dream for a couple of draft picks and fate united Reese and Sky for the first game of the season. “I’m still happy,” Reese said. “I’m grateful for my time here in Chicago — I experienced a lot of great things — but I’m just happy to start this new journey.” However, facing her former teammate, Reese had a rather unpleasant moment that was noticed by the fans.
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There is still love in Chicago for Angel Reese. During the first timeout, the Sky played a tribute on the jumbotron that included Reese’s highlights on and off the court while she was at the Sky. However, the same courtesy was not extended on the court as fellow draftee Kamilla Cardoso vehemently rejected Reese’s shot.
With 3:17 in the second half, Reese brought the ball up to the top of the key from her own half. She was in an iso against Cardoso and they had faced off all game until that point. Reese tried to go past Cardoso but was just too slow to get to the rim. To compensate, Reese tried to eurostep around Cardoso, who swatted it off.
Kamilla Cardoso sends it back against her former teammate 💪 ATL-CHI I Watch FREE in the App with your WNBA ID: wnba.onelink.me/yKxu/7ukkazpk
In the end, it was the Dream that held on to an 87-78 win at Wintrust Arena. Reese had 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in just 13 minutes of action. Cardoso finished with three points, four rebounds, a steal and two blocks in 16 minutes of play. However, that Cardoso block on Reese ignited an old conversation, a technical mistake regarding Reese.
Angel Reese’s Technique Under Fire After Kamilla Cardoso Block
“How long before Angel get mad being the 4th option on offense?” Asked one. The change is expected. At the Sky, the team almost lost or won with Reese. It was all up to her, which means she had more opportunities.
However, in Atlanta she is not the best player. Atlanta has re-signed its five core players: Howard, fellow three-time All-Star guard Allisha Gray, two-time WNBA steals leader Jordin Canada, four-time All-Star forward Brionna Jones and reigning WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Naz Hillmon. In this lineup, her role could be to crash the glass and dominate the paint.
But that won’t necessarily translate to scoring. Can Reese’s ego take that? She will need to compromise in order for the team to win. In addition, Reese’s technique under the basket is still being deemed unsatisfactory.
“Year 3 and she is still throwing up layups from her hip. Such an unserious basketball player 😭,” wrote a fan. “Year 3, same as Year 1, not seeing any progress here,” pitched in another. Reese’s shooting and layup technique has constantly been under fire right from her rookie season. But numbers show there has been some improvement in her accuracy.
As a rookie, Reese went 44.5% from shots within 5 feet around the rim. In 2025, that number went up to 51.6%. While the numbers show improvement, this example shows that her technique has not yet achieved consistency. Especially against elite defense like Cardoso’s.
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She sometimes still shoots from the hip despite being 6’3 and with adequate shoulder strength. In addition, Reese doesn’t tilt her body to the basket, which is one of the fundamentals. Her technique is not very effective, using her upper body to shoot instead of her lower body. These are some of the mistakes Reese makes but the frequency has certainly decreased. She even worked with Lisa Leslie regarding her overhead form. Apart from the technique, others pointed out a tactical flaw in the play as well.
“Not the PG stuff again, gonna be a longggg season,” wrote a fan. “Still bringing the ball up trying to be a guard, still going iso for no reason, still shooting the ball from her waist. Welcome back demon 🔥,” sarcastically commented another. Last season, Tyler Marsh tried to transform Angel Reese into a point forward.
Getting her to bring the ball up the court and giving her more creative responsibility. As a result, her assist numbers rose from 1.9 to 3.7 assists per game but her turnover rate also spiked to 3.9 per game. In this game she was seen doing the same, distributing the ball and being the hub of the offense.
However, many believe it’s not her best use. She excels in getting boards and defending the rim and her one-on-ones are often inadequate (like this one). Playing her off the ball and as a finisher around the rim is her perceived role. In addition, she shot just 18.2% from the three-point line last year. If she sharpens some aspects, like her ball handling, shooting and vision, she could evolve into that role. In any case, this was only a preseason game and it’s unlikely the Dream will use Reese in this manner with Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao in the squad.
