After getting picked seventh in the 2024 WNBA draft, Angel Reese is looking like the second-best rookie in her class behind Caitlin Clark. She has instantly become the best rebounder in the league and a double-double machine. But if there is one thing to nitpick about her game, it's been her touch at the rim.
Reese has been by far the worst player in the WNBA at converting her layup attempts. Her 43.8 percent on shots within five feet sounds bad. The video of some of her recent misses makes it look even more rough. She had one of the worst botched layups of the season last week.
We know Reese's finishing is bad, but how bad is it? Here's what the number say.
Angel Reese is historically bad at finishing layups
League average on shots within 5 feet this season is at 59.6 percent. Nobody comes close to Reese's 43.8 percent on those shots this season.
Shooting under 44 percent on shots within five feet is obviously an unacceptably-low number. Diana Taurasi has a better chance of making a 25-foot bomb this season (45.2%) than Reese does of making a layup.
What makes Reese's lack of finishing even more problematic is that she takes so many layups, leading the league by far with 274 field goal attempts. If she were just a little bit better, then the Sky's No. 9 offense would see dramatic improvement.
It's also not as if Reese has a good jump shot to make up for her lack of inside game. She's hitting only 31 percent of her midrange shots and 18 percent of her 3's this season. There are some hopeless misses from there, too.
You just can't give Angel Reese open looks like that pic.twitter.com/JXoT4qTJcs
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) August 25, 2024
If Reese is going to be a positive on offense, then she has to make layups. There is some reason to hope that she can improve. She is still in her rookie year, and plenty of other All-Stars have shot worse at the rim before becoming very good finishers later in their careers.
Reese's lack of finishing also shouldn't take away from her prodigious rebounding. Even if you took away all of the rebounds that she got off her own misses, she'd still be the best offensive rebounder in the league.
Reese has a legitimate chance to become the best rebounder in the league history, thanks to the tremendous effort that she puts forth on the glass. She became the only WNBA player to ever record three consecutive 20+ rebound games on Sunday. She does need to work on that finishing, though. It's a legitimate flaw that is keeping her from potential greatness.
