Angel Reese’s embarrassing issues let Caitlin Clark dominate latest rivalry matchup of Fever vs. Sky

Billy Heyen

Angel Reese’s embarrassing issues let Caitlin Clark dominate latest rivalry matchup of Fever vs. Sky image

Angel Reese is a rising star in women's basketball.

But the Chicago Sky forward isn't without flaws. And one of them showed up right away to start her second season on Saturday.

Reese, a 6-foot-3 lefty who grabs every rebound and has surprising handle for her size, is missing one key aspect: She's not a good finisher inside.

With her skillset, Reese should shoot 50 percent or better most nights.

But against the Fever in a blowout loss, Reese shot just 5-for-14. 

MORE: Caitlin Clark dismisses Angel Reese rivalry

That comes after she made just 39.1 percent of her field goal attempts as a rookie. That's not even a good rate for a guard, let alone a frontcourt player who takes a lot of layups or in-close attempts.

Her 17 rebounds (seven offensive) against Indiana end up feeling like almost empty calories, especially when a handful of those offensive boards come on her own misses.

Reese also turned the ball over five times against the Fever.

The Caitlin Clark rivalry with Reese might be something fans enjoy, but it doesn't actually play out on the court (even with a physical flagrant foul by Clark on Reese).

They may not like each other, but their abilities are no contest.

Clark shot 6-for-13 on Saturday (including 4-8 from 3) and finished with a triple-double.

For Reese to compete with Clark as their careers go on, the lanky lefty will have to figure out how to convert more of the easy opportunities she gives herself.

MORE: This Caitlin Clark WNBA take is downright disrespectful

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle