Angel Reese is struggling with layups, but how big of a problem is that for her WNBA career?

Let’s break down the stats.

Angel Reese joins Caitlin Clark as one of the most exciting young WNBA players in recent memory, but there is still room for improvement.

The Chicago Sky forward who has already made a statistical case as the best rookie in the WNBA over Clark, is massively impactful on the court. She is a genuinely phenomenal rebounder who is accomplishing statistical milestones we haven’t seen since Shaquille O’Neal.

Her opponents have resorted to quadruple-teaming her to avoid her recording more and more double-doubles and as a rookie, her ceiling is still incredibly high.

But there are ways she can still get better, and perhaps most obviously is her ability to finish at the basket. This is currently one of the biggest flaws in her game.

She is currently shooting 46.1 percent on shots at the rim, per PBPStats, which is the lowest of anyone in the league with at least 40 attempts in that zone. It is significantly lower than the league average (54.8 percent) so far this season.

Among the 171 players who have taken as many total attempts at the rim, since 2009, only four have a lower combined field goal percentage from that area than Reese.

Here is more from Stephen Noh (via Sporting News):

“What makes Reese’s lack of finishing even more problematic is that she takes so many layups, leading the league by far with 274 field goal attempts. If she were just a little bit better, then the Sky’s No. 9 offense would see dramatic improvement.

It’s also not as if Reese has a good jump shot to make up for her lack of inside game. She’s hitting only 31 percent of her midrange shots and 18 percent of her 3’s this season. There are some hopeless misses from there, too.

The good news is that Reese has a unique ability to grab her own misses to create second-chance opportunities for herself, currently leading the WNBA with 35 offensive rebounds from her own misses.

This effectively cleans up some of the mistakes caused by missing so many layups.

But for added context, the finishing ability is not a new issue for Reese.

via CBB Analytics

She shot 53.6 percent at the rim during his final collegiate season for LSU, per CBB Analytics. That ranked in the 33rd percentile among players at her position and was the lowest among the 15 players who had the most attempts within that zone.

Reese led women’s college basketball in field goal attempts (89) on putbacks last season, per CBB Analytics, so she was able to use offensive rebounds as a way to score while in the NCAA as well.

But for someone who does not space the floor, she needs to score efficiently near the rim in order to reach her full potential. Fortunately, it seems she will have a long career to improve on these areas.

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