NBA Champion Reverses Course on Angel Reese After Dream Star’s Game 2 Performance Against Liberty

WNBANBA Champion Reverses Course on Angel Reese After Dream Star’s Game 2 Performance Against LibertyAdd us on Google

WNBANBA Champion Reverses Course on Angel Reese After Dream Star’s Game 2 Performance Against LibertyAdd us on Google

COLLEGE PARK, GA – SEPTEMBER 17: Atlanta forward Angel Reese 5 reacts during the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Connecticut Sun and the Atlanta Dream on September 17th, 2026 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: SEP 17 Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260917014

COLLEGE PARK, GA – SEPTEMBER 17: Atlanta forward Angel Reese 5 reacts during the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Connecticut Sun and the Atlanta Dream on September 17th, 2026 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: SEP 17 Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260917014

From missing out on the playoffs twice with the Chicago Sky to now being on the brink of leading the Atlanta Dream to its first WNBA Finals since 2013 in her third year as the Defensive Player of the Year, Angel Reese has changed a lot of minds while reaching the top of the mountain.

One such name is Jeff Teague. The former NBA champion for the Milwaukee Bucks has been Reese’s critic on a few occasions when watching her play. However, even he could not help but give Reese her flowers after watching the Atlanta Dream’s 101-98 overtime victory over the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals, where Reese scored 23 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

She did it all without the help of Allisha Gray, the Dream’s top scorer in the regular season, who was out with an injury to her shooting hand (left).

“Angel Reese I gotta give you more respect,” Teague said during a live watch of Game 2 on Wednesday night, per a clip posted on X.

Opinions around the W change a lot, and Teague’s switch up on Reese is the perfect example of that. This is because back in August, the former NBA champion did not hold back while talking about Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s 95-91 overtime victory over Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream.

During regulation, Angel Reese had a chance at a wide-open layup right at the rim that would have won it for the Dream, but unfortunately missed the shot. The Fever won the contest in OT, and Reese finished with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds. However, she went 5-of-16 from the field, which left fans wanting more from the Dream forward.

To make matters worse for Reese, cameras caught none other than Caitlin Clark walking past the frustrated 24-year-old with a huge grin on her face after she missed one of the easier layups of her standards. Teague took notice of this brief incident and called Clark the WNBA’s “biggest rockstar” while pointing out Angel Reese’s missed layup.

“Angel Reese smoked the layup for the game. She was 5-for-16 throughout the game. Here’s Caitlin Clark laughing at Angel right after. She walked behind her like the Joker,” Teague said.

Game 2 against the Liberty ended quite the opposite way for Reese and the Dream. Again playing overtime, Reese stepped up, scoring six of the Dream’s 13 points. Moreover, her two shots from the charity stripe increased the Dream’s lead to three points, just the amount of cushion they needed to seal the win.

Following the whole reset timeout confusion, Breanna Stewart’s 32-footer attempt to save the game ended in vain, and the Dream are now in the driving seat against the 2024 champions. Following the victory, Angel Reese also talked about how she executed taking time off the clock.

“That’s IQ and knowing the time. It would take them a couple seconds to chase me around the court, so I ran as fast as I could and took as much time off the clock as possible. We had talked about throwing the ball in the air, but there was too much time on the clock. We knew the situation and executed it.” Reese said.

Safe to say, Angel Reese has grown a lot in just one season with the Dream. And while she has found her groove and the right chemistry in Atlanta, it is also due to head coach Karl Smesko’s efforts to upskill her throughout the season.

Ahead of this season, Karl Smesko said that Angel Reese would “fit in great” with the rest of the Dream and that he is looking forward to coaching her. He was not wrong, as Reese went on to win DPOY while averaging 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in the regular season. But stats only tell part of the story, as Reese quickly became one of the leaders of a highly physical team.

Under Smesko, Reese has significantly improved her shooting efficiency, something that was lacking during her time with the Sky. Three-point shooting is also part of that, and while that is a work in progress with below 20% efficiency this regular season, she is now attempting 1.3 shots per game, compared to 0.6 before Smesko.

“I thought she would have a huge impact, but I think she’s been even better. Especially I think everybody can see the growth that she’s had from the beginning of the season to the end of the season where she’s at right now. And I’ve told her that I’m really proud of the improvement that she’s made this year.” Smesko said about Reese in September, per a video on the Dream’s YouTube channel.

However, Karl Smesko believes this is still not the best we have seen of Angel Reese, and she can shift into an even higher gear come next season.

“And I’ll go on record. I think her biggest jump is going to be between the end of this year and next year when there’s one more offseason and she gets to play in the same system.” Smesko added.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of having a force like Reese is her ability to give confidence to her teammates, as pointed out by 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner.

“She’s the motor. Her defensive presence is unmatched. … She brings the toughness. She brings the umph. As long as she’s out there, we see her go hard, it’s like, ‘Man, I want to dive on the floor for a ball.’ That’s rare. That’s kind of hard to find … we feed off her, and she gets us going every single game.” Bonner said.

This is high praise coming from Bonner, who has 17 seasons of WNBA experience under her belt. Apart from Reese, Smesko’s side is blessed with talents like Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, and Jordin Canada. And the DPOY knows that all too well, as she revealed her gratitude for being part of a squad like this.

“When you play with great players, they push you every single day to your potential, maybe even more,” Reese said. “And I’m just so grateful for my teammates. I’m grateful for my coaches every single day. We have fun, we have hard conversations. They love on me, and they’re just there for me all the time.”

“I’m just really thankful for it because you don’t really get the opportunity [always]. I haven’t had that in a while, and being able to be here in Atlanta, I’m just really grateful to have sisters in the locker room that really, really genuinely care and love me.” She added.

With experienced sides like the New York Liberty and reigning champions Las Vegas Aces on the brink of elimination, Reese’s Atlanta Dream is sparking a new era alongside second-year team Golden State Valkyries. While the semifinals are not finished yet, it will be interesting to see if Angel Reese can propel the Atlanta Dream to its first WNBA championship in her playoff debut.