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Angel Reese has been a record-breaking machine of late. Her rookie season with the Chicago Sky has been littered with history, as the former LSU star has established herself as a rebounding machine since entering the WNBA. Entering Friday's game against Indiana, Reese's 12.9 rebounds per game led the league by a huge margin, over one per game. On Sunday, she became the first woman in league history to record three consecutive 20+ rebound games.
Reese continued to make history on Friday when she set the WNBA record for double-doubles by a rookie. Her 10-point, 11-rebound game marked her 23rd double-double of the season, passing Tina Charles' old record. After the game, NBA Hall-of-Famer and Chicago native Dwyane Wade took notice.
“History in the making,” the Miami Heat legend wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Reese has earned a lot of praise for her play this season, and is making a late push to catch Caitlin Clark for the Rookie of the Year. Even if she doesn't make up the ground, her historic rookie season will earn plenty of accolades.
Examining the Sky's path to the playoffs
After Friday night's loss to the Fever, the Sky sit 11-20 and are clinging to the No. 8 seed in the WNBA standings. The Atlanta Dream are just one game behind at 10-21 and will surely be pushing to snag that final spot.
The problem for the Sky is their recent form is not good. Despite the strong play of Angel Reese, the Sky lost six of their seven games in August after coming back from the Olympic break, including dropping their last five. Star guard Chennedy Carter is banged up and the team is really struggling to find its footing without her, especially on the offensive end.
Reese and company have nine games remaining, and the strength of schedule is kind of a mixed bag. They start September with games against the Lynx and Aces on the road, where they will be steep underdogs. Then, they have a manageable three-game stretch against Los Angeles, Dallas and Washington, all of which are winnable games. The Sky will then take on Minnesota and Phoenix before a pivotal matchup with the Dream, and a season-closing matchup with the formidable Connecticut Sun.
Looking their current record, the Sky likely need to win four or five of those remaining games to crack the eight-team postseason field. They have to take care of the winnable games against lottery teams, and maybe work a little magic against the top of the league. Carter getting healthy would be a good first step. It's not an easy road, but it's certainly a doable one.
