Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese didn’t have any doubts about her ability to hit the ground running in the WNBA.

“I knew coming into the league what I was gonna bring,” she said Thursday in her postgame press conference after an 83-72 win over the Dallas Wings. “I don’t really care about the outside things. I knew my game was gonna translate just because I rebound and play hard.

“I play hard all 40 minutes and you can’t teach that. You can’t teach the dawg mentality. You can’t teach somebody that just wants to go hard for their teammates and their coaches every single day, so that’s just my job within this team.”

Reese had 16 points and 18 rebounds against Dallas, making history as the first WNBA rookie to ever post seven straight double-doubles.

The No. 7 overall pick previously reflected how she thought her first training camp with the Sky was going to be more difficult. She made a seamless transition thanks to the coaching she got and the work she put in at LSU.
For now, it certainly looks like multiple WNBA teams whiffed when they passed on Reese in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Perhaps not to this scale, but her early success to some degree was easily foreseeable. The former Maryland and LSU star averaged a double-double over a four-year college career that included numerous individual and team accolades. She also possessed a skill set with some obvious strengths.

“She does what she does,” one WNBA general manager said to ESPN.com’s Katie Barnes in April. “She’s a tremendous rebounder. She gets to the free throw line. She has a high IQ and can impact your defense.”

Regardless of where her pro ceiling ultimately resides, Reese is displaying right now why she has a long, productive career ahead.