As Reese rolled her eyes, Edwards popped up and mouthed “one, two, three” — counting how many times she thought the same foul should have been called.
Reese and the Sky were defeated that evening by Edwards and the Mystics, but this rivalry might go for years. The WNBA draft in April saw the Mystics choose Edwards with the sixth overall choice. They did this in order to avoid Reese, who is a Baltimore native and plays the same position. She went to Chicago at No. 7.
Reese declared on Saturday that a wrist injury had ended her debut season; yet, in 34 games, she broke the league record most rebounds in a season and kept the Sky in the running for a postseason berth.
“I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed,” Reese posted on social media.
“No one” is a stretch, but Reese sent a message this summer to those who doubted her game would translate to the WNBA. She set a league record with 15 consecutive double-doubles, and her 26 total were the second most in WNBA history. Reese was an all-star and averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Edwards, whose Mystics have faint playoff hopes and will face the Reese-less Sky on Wednesday in Chicago, has had a quietly productive debut season; she is averaging 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 blocks.
“I wouldn’t say it’s like motivation, but I would just say, yeah, I support my fellow rookies,” said Edwards, who had career highs in points (23), rebounds (14) and blocks (four) in the first meeting with the Sky on June 6 and has averaged 15 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 blocks against Chicago. “… It’s nothing that I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, let me see what so-and-so’s doing today.’ To fans it might feel a bit different than to us, but to me it’s just Mystics versus Chicago, and we’re just going out there to do what we can.”
Speaking before her injury about matching up with the Mystics, Reese shared a similar perspective.
“I’m considered one of the top rookies in this class, regardless of if I [was drafted] number seven,” she said. “So I don’t really get a feeling that, ‘Oh, this team didn’t pick me and I want them to regret that feeling when I go out there.’”
Reese has been one of the most talked-about American athletes for the past two years, especially this summer as the WNBA has commanded unprecedented attention.
The talk frequently—too frequently, in Reese’s opinion—centered on her competitive rivalry with No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark. In the 2023 national championship game, LSU and Reese defeated Iowa and Clark. The Hawkeyes advanced to the final game for the second time in a row last year after defeating the Tigers in the Elite Eight. These two were without a doubt the most talked-about college athletes during the previous two years.
But they play different positions and weren’t going directly at each other. Edwards provides a more apt comparison.
The way the draft played out came down to preference, scheme and roster construction. The Mystics already had 2022 No. 3 pick Shakira Austin as a cornerstone in the post, and General Manager Mike Thibault envisioned a more versatile forward with more shooting range on the perimeter playing alongside her. The Mystics believe Edwards can develop a three-point shot, though she’s 0 for 6 this season, and they like her playmaking ability in a system the emphasizes ball movement and shooting. (Reese made 3 of 16 three-point attempts this year.)
Coaches and players around the league rave about Edwards’s maturity, with Los Angeles Sparks Coach Curt Miller and Dallas Wings Coach Latricia Trammell specifically being impressed by the way she conducted herself during pre-draft interviews. Edwards has a tendency to do a lot of the little things that don’t show up in the box score.
“She’s a student of the game, and she approaches the game as such,” said Seattle Storm Coach Noelle Quinn, who was an assistant on the Canadian Olympic team that featured Edwards. “She’s a very hard worker. … You can tell by just her heart, her activity, her energy level — those are things that allow her to get extra possessions.”
Analyst Meghan McKeown added, “Unfortunately for her, [Edwards is] in the same rookie class as two of the flashiest players that we can probably remember. … But she does not get enough credit.”
Reese shoots twice as often as Edwards, leading to the elevated scoring total. Edwards (48.7 percent) has connected at a much higher rate than Reese (39.1 percent). That’s even with Reese typically operating down low, with 76.6 percent of her shot attempts coming from less than five feet from the basket. Edwards has taken 61.9 percent of her shot attempts from that range.
Reese was a starter from Day 1 and was asked to shoulder a heavy burden with center Elizabeth Williams out for the season and No. 3 pick Kamilla Cardoso missing a stretch because of injury.
“I thought Angel would be a really good pro, but she has exceeded my expectations,” ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson said. “And she has proven to be one of the best rookies in the history of the league. I don’t think any GM who had a selection in the top portion of the draft is unhappy with their choice. … Now, do some GMs wonder if they under-assessed Angel’s value or her ability? Yes.”
As Reese slid in the draft, it was a bit surprising. But looking closer at each pick reveals the logic.
Clark is an all-star, set the single-season records for three-pointers and assists as a rookie and is likely to beat Reese for rookie of the year honors. Cameron Brink was the consensus No. 2 pick; the Sparks rookie suffered a season-ending torn ACL in June.
Cardoso has played well for Chicago since returning from injury. Rickea Jackson (No. 4 overall) joined MVPs Nneka Ogwumike, Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie as the only rookies in Sparks history to score more than 400 points. At No. 5, the Wings were already loaded with frontcourt players and went with point guard Jacy Sheldon.
The big decision came at No. 6, and the conversation will continue as their careers progress. Edwards and Reese have different roles in different schemes, and both are expected to be foundations of their franchises. In their first seasons, Edwards has been allowed to slowly develop, whereas Reese was handed massive responsibilities.
They might not be worried about what the other is doing, but they were particularly energetic when going up against each other in their three meetings this season.
“I’m sure there’s a little extra juice in it for both sides — and that’s okay, that’s good,” Mystics Coach Eric Thibault said. “We know what we have. [Edwards has] been ready to start when she’s needed to. … She rebounds the ball. She’s finished well since maybe that first couple weeks of the season. She’s learning every game. … Everybody looks at Aaliyah and goes, ‘She’s going to have a 10-year career.’
“We play in space maybe a little bit more than Chicago does, so it’s a little different styles. I worry about us. Good for them. You like to see rookies come in the league and do well. … I’m sure they’ll be going at it for many years to come.”
