Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese has been a dominant force on the inside this season, with shades of another former dominant inside presence from LSU in Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal fine tuned his game to get ready for the pros at LSU just like Reese. He’s taken on a bit of a mentor role to Reese and he was in attendance on Friday for the Sky’s home game against the Indiana Fever.
Prior to the game, O’Neal spoke about the mentorship role he’s played for Reese.
“Very excited, it’s my first time watching her play as a pro. And I get to see Caitlin Clark up close in person too so looking forward to the game,” O’Neal said. “She’s like a daughter to me so I’m gonna protect her. I call her every now and then and just mess with her, but it’s great, she’s like my daughter.”
Shaquille O’Neal generated headlines earlier this WNBA season when he proclaimed that Angel Reese was the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. He also made sure to mention that it wasn’t LSU bias that was fueling his opinion.
But LSU bias or not, O’Neal’s opinion certainly holds weight when looking at the type of season Reese has had.
Angel Reese brings energy, intensity to the Sky
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Reese has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Sky this season. While her offensive game is clearly a work in progress, where she’s been able to make her mark as a rookie has been on the glass and on the defensive end.
Reese has set a few records this season including the most number of consecutive double-doubles in a single season (15) and the most number of double-double’s in general in a single season (23). Reese’s latest record of 23 double-doubles in a season was set on Friday during the Sky’s game against the Fever.
The Sky have struggled coming out of the Olympic break, but they’re still in the running for a playoff spot with Reese playing a big role in that.
Coming into Friday’s game, Reese had played, and started, in all 30 games for the Sky this season at a little over 32 minutes per game. She’s been averaging 13.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 38.4 percent shooting from the field and 73.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
While the Rookie of the Year race between Reese and Caitlin Clark is a tough one, it can’t be denied the Reese has a very strong case.
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