Life with the Atlanta Dream has been quite good for Angel Reese so far this season. She’s anchored Atlanta’s interior defense and rebounding, and quickly established herself as an important part of the rotation. She has also appeared in all nine of the Dream’s games so far this season and has contributed significantly to the team’s impressive 6-3 record.

Speaking on Friday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast, which she hosts with WNBA analyst Annie Costabile, analyst Sabreena Merchant gave her brief verdict on what she thinks of Angel Reese’s performance so far this season. And for the most part, she is impressed with what the forward has brought to Atlanta. “I think Angel’s been good,” Merchant said. However, despite the praise, Merchant said, “I think, like, efficiency still isn’t quite where you’d want it to be.”

Reese‘s 42-44% FG confirms Merchant’s concern, meaning she misses more than half of her heavily contested interior shots. And even though she currently leads the WNBA in rebounding, pulling down 11.1 rebounds per game, and is averaging 12.8 points per contest as a foundational element of the Dream’s frontcourt, Merchant still believes the offensive aspect of her game needs work. “The offense has been a little bit behind where I would have hoped in the Karl Smesko system,” she added.

But aside from that, she’s had quite a good season so far, and Merchant was quick to point out those positives as well. “I think defensively she’s been awesome,” she said. “Playing that back line of defense. She’s so active. She can do a lot of things, you know, in terms of pressuring up and also sitting back.”

In fact, Merchant also believes that the offensive aspect of Reese’s game will eventually come around. “I believe, eventually Angel’s offense will pick up to the point where, like, it’s not bringing them down,” she said, expressing confidence that the forward will continue to grow into her role within Atlanta’s system.

WNBA analyst explains how Atlanta’s offense offsets Angel Reese’s scoring inefficiency

Despite Angel Reese’s poor efficiency, missing more than half of her heavily contested interior shots, it feels quite surprising that the Atlanta Dream are not feeling the full weight of those struggles. The Dream currently hold a 6-3 record and sit third in the combined WNBA standings, proving that Reese’s scoring challenges have not prevented the team from finding success.

WNBA analyst Annie Costabile recently spotlighted that fact and explained why it has not become a major issue for Atlanta. Speaking on the No Offseason podcast, she said, “The thing that is impressive to me is despite her scoring inefficiency, they’re still winning. Like, they’re still second in the league.” Costabile then pointed to the team’s offensive depth as a major factor. “And obviously, a large part of that is because of the other offensive threats that they have. In Karl’s system, like Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are carrying the load.”

And of course, that’s not far from the truth. While Angel Reese focuses on locking down the interior and controlling the glass, the Atlanta Dream’s heavy scoring output comes from their dominant backcourt duo of Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. Howard averages 19.3 PPG, while Gray averages 21.1 PPG. This gives Atlanta plenty of offensive firepower even when Reese is not scoring efficiently.

For Costabile, this is exactly what Reese did not enjoy back in Chicago, and it exposed the team’s losses far more often. As she explained, “That wasn’t true in Angel’s early years. Like the offense, so much of it was being run through her. And that, in my opinion, is not where Angel is going to shine in her career.”

Well, Reese did mention that she finally got a better team when she initially joined the Dream earlier this season. Perhaps this is the perfect situation for her, one that covers some of her flaws while fully taking advantage of her strengths. So far, it certainly appears to be working quite well for both Reese and Atlanta.