Angel Reese continues to be one of the most polarizing basketball players in recent memory. The opinion on Reese tends to stray too far towards both extremes, and the discourse surrounding the Chicago Sky forward tends to induce a migraine at the end of the day. Most of the time, the criticisms of Reese become deafening; the mere sight of her field-goal percentage sends fans into uncontrollable laughter.

But it's clear what Reese brings to the table even if she may have some trouble scoring the ball efficiently at times. Her motor is not something that can be taught, and she deserves plenty of credit for being one of the greatest rebounders the WNBA has already seen even if she's just in the second year of her career.

Nonetheless, when the vitriol Reese gets is as harsh as it is, it can become tough for the Sky forward to ignore them completely. But Shaquille O'Neal, someone who wants to be a mentor figure of sorts to the 23-year-old, encouraged her by saying that the only opinion that matters is that of one's self.

“She's as good and even better than some of the people that y'all are kissing up to. But y'all don't know it. But she knows it. And in order to be great, you have to know you're great,” Shaq told Sports Illustrated's Claudette Montana in a June 2 interview. “She just needs to continue to… play her game, better her game, and don't worry about the nonsense. I tell her all the time: ‘Don't be looking at those comments.' Because they don't really have a voice, they just think they do.”

Reese simply has to focus on improving her game and let her on-court work do the talking, as there is simply no winning when fans have already made up their mind about someone the way they have done towards the Sky forward.

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Sky's Angel Reese must take criticism in stride

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half agaisnt the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

There are some who go overboard in their criticisms of Reese. Those are fans who don't have a life. But there are some who give constructive feedback for the Sky forward to heed.

Simply put, what Reese is doing on offense as a forward is not good enough if she were to become one of the best players in the WNBA. She is shooting 31.1 percent from the field, and there are times when she gets tunnel vision after hauling in a rebound instead of kicking it out to an open shooter. She has to be better at reading the floor as well as taking better shots.