Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese has been battling for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award throughout the entirety of the 2024 season, mainly facing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the race. While Clark is the frontrunner, and many believe she will win the award, given Reese’s season-ending wrist surgery, the Sky forward has been quite phenomenal throughout her rookie year.
She finished the season averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 forward was clearly an immediate impact player, but WNBA legend Sue Bird believes she could be even better. Bird recently spoke about Reese’s development throughout her rookie season. She mentioned that Reese has been able to produce at a high level, but if she could bump up her shooting percentage, she could take the next step. The WNBA champion even explained that Reese isn’t “far off.”
“She kind of knows what shots she’s going to get,” Bird said. “All she really needs to do is bump up her shooting percentage by like 3, 4, 5 points, which is totally doable, and all of a sudden we’re looking at a kid instead averaging like 13 and 13, it’s like 18 and 13… she’s not far off because those shots are coming.”
When she finished the season, Reese was shooting 39.1% from the field. She also shot 18.8% from three-point range, but the rookie isn’t known for her skill beyond the arc. Sue Bird thinks people have talked down on the rookie because of her shooting percentage. She explained that the rookie should focus on improving that realm of her game, but made sure to share that Reese could definitely make those changes and see her talent rise.
The opinion of Sue Bird has weighed heavy on the WNBA community for years. She retired from the WNBA in 2022 after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft. Bird is one of the most decorated and well-respected names in the WNBA. The former Seattle Storm star walked away from the game as a four-time WNBA champion, thirteen-time All-Star, five-time All-WNBA First Team, and three-time All-WNBA second team.
