It’s been a tough start to the season for Angel Reese and the Sky.
With Chicago sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at 2-6, Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said the team “needs more” out of its second-year pro.
“She’s had some great games, and she’s had some games like everybody else that haven’t been her best,” Pagliocca told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday. “But she’s our best chance at versatility on this roster. We need more production out of her, but we need her to help us in other ways, too.”
Reese’s stats have regressed in almost every statistical category from last season, when she was an All-Star and averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.
This year, she’s scoring just 10.1 points a night on poor efficiency – 35.8 percent from the field and just 36 percent from two-point range.
Reese’s rebound numbers have dipped to 12.1 per game, and she’s averaging 3.9 turnovers a night – a huge rise over last season’s mark of 2.2.
“She’s been putting the time in,” Pagliocca said. “She’s been a great teammate. She knows we need to use her in a variety of ways. We’re still trying to pinpoint the most advantageous part of that.”
The Sky and Reese had been striving to improve her shooting and play-making ability following a stellar first season, when she was named to the All-Rookie Team.
However, the 23-year-old Reese has struggled to truly break through in either area, even as her three-point percentage is up to 33 percent from last season’s 18.8 percent mark, and her assist averages have jumped from 1.9 to 2.6.
“That’s something that has yet to come together,” Pagliocca said, “but it’s a necessity for us to win.”
There have been some encouraging signs of late. Reese notched her best game of the season so far with a 17-point, seven-rebound effort Tuesday against the undefeated Liberty, albeit in an 85-66 loss.
“I put my head down and work every single day — I don’t give up on anything,” Reese told the Sun-Times before the game Tuesday. “I critique myself the most. I know it’s going to translate. . . . I’m just going to put my head down and work, and I know the results will show.”