This season, Angel Reese has built a reputation for making her opponents’ lives miserable. Give her a missed shot, and she’ll probably turn it into a second chance. Give her some space inside, and she’ll spend the rest of the night owning the glass. So when the Atlanta Dream will lock horns with the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday night, they will be the latest team tasked with slowing her down. However, unlike most opponents, Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase won’t be relying solely on scouting reports.

After spending time coaching Reese with Team USA earlier this year, Nakase already knows the kind of challenge waiting for her team. And she didn’t shy away from explaining it one day before the tip-off.

“I had a good time with her at USA. So I know the type of physicality and the type of heart that she plays with,” Nakase said in her conversation with Nathan Canilao. “So we got to match that. Like I said – we always do team defense first and so it’s matchup base, but it’s also just making sure she averages five or six offensive rebounds. So we got to make sure we take that away.”

Back in March, when Angel Reese made her highly anticipated senior national team debut at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, Nakase got a front-row seat to her relentless approach as an assistant coach. And that experience showed her that containing Reese will require far more than a single defender.

The Dream forward is currently averaging 15 points and 11.8 rebounds (highest in the league) this season and the most concerning part for opponents is that 5.6 of those boards come on the offensive glass.

When it comes to the Valkyries – no player on their roster is currently averaging even five rebounds per game. Their veteran center Kiah Stokes leads the team at 4.9 rebounds per contest. So she will likely spend plenty of time battling Reese in the paint.

But based on Nakase’s comments, Golden State has little interest in making this a one-player assignment. This became apparent when Nakase was asked whether her guards would need to be intentional about crashing the glass against Atlanta.

“It’s definitely being intentional. But we have faced multiple teams that are big and we were able out rebound them. So it’s just continuing for us to be consistent,” she added.

But it’s easier said than done….

Angel Reese has been one of the league’s most reliable sources of extra possessions, and that has played a major role in Atlanta’s rise.

With Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada – the Atlanta Dream have an incredibly dangerous perimeter offense. Behind them the Dream are sitting at No. 3 of season leaders in points per game. But every high-volume offense needs a safety net, and Reese has become exactly that with her ability to create extra possessions on the glass. And that has been a major reason why they have a 12-4 record so far.

So when the game kicks-off the Valkyries will try to do what many teams have struggled to accomplish this season: keep Reese from controlling the game on the glass. But while Golden State is focused on stopping Reese, the Dream star has her attention on a much bigger picture.

Angel Reese Sees Another Level

The Dream team will enter their matchup against the Valkyries riding a four-game winning streak. And in those games, Atlanta has won by an average margin of 14 points.

In this stretch, Reese has piled up 65 points and 45 rebounds while continuing what has been the most productive season of her WNBA career, where she has also helped Atlanta become one of the league’s most dangerous teams.

But despite Atlanta’s success, the 24-year-old believes her group is only scratching the surface.

“In June, we look so great,” she said in her conversation with Keiana Martin. “I’m just wondering what we’re going to look like in October and September.”

“We don’t even have Bri Jones (recovering from right knee surgery) back, and we’ve done such a great job,. All five starters – averaging double figures, and our bench is also so great.”

That balance Angel Reese is talking about? Has been one of Atlanta’s biggest strengths. On any given night, the Dream can lean on Howard, Gray, Canada or Reese herself. So that collective approach makes it harder for their opponents to control them.

“I don’t know how much better it’s going to look,” she added. “But I’m excited for what it’s going to look like in September.”

But while it will take a while to see what they look like in September, their latest concern is much closer.

Facing them on Wednesday night will be a team led by a coach who already understands how Angel Reese plays. So when the Dream and Valkyries lock horns at 10 p.m. EDT, Atlanta will look to keep its winning streak alive, while the Valkyries try to find a way to slow down one of the WNBA’s most dominant forces.