“It Was A Momentum Changer”: Angel Reese Earns High Praise From Atlanta HC After Milestone Performance

On a night where the main storyline was Brittney Griner‘s first game against her former side, the Atlanta Dream, Angel Reese decided it was her time to shine and prove to everybody that she’s the worthy replacement for the 10-time WNBA All-Star.

As the Connecticut Sun led the game by four points with just a minute left in the third quarter, Atlanta needed someone to step up to prevent them from crumbling down. 

Looking to prove that she’s been brought in by the Dream for this particular moment, Reese steadied herself from the three-point line and decided it’s time for her to shine. She received a pass from Jordin Canada and decided to take the three-pointer. To the surprise of everybody inside The Gateway Center Arena, Reese sank the shot, sending everybody into a frenzy.

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Following her three-pointer, the Dream went on a 7-0 run and finished the third quarter with a three-point advantage. They used that momentum to extend the run to 10-0 to start the fourth quarter and never looked back as they cruised to a 91-75 win. 

After the game, Dream head coach Karl Smesko peppered Reese with praise.

&#8220;I did think it was a momentum changer,” said Smesko via Wilton C. Jackson on X. “I thought the crowd loved it, team loved it, I loved it. So I do think it was a big shot. I’ll have to watch it and break it down on film, but it looked like a really good release, like the release we’ve been working on.”

“I did think it was a momentum changer,” said Smesko via Wilton C. Jackson on X. “I thought the crowd loved it, team loved it, I loved it. So I do think it was a big shot. I’ll have to watch it and break it down on film, but it looked like a really good release, like the release we’ve been working on.”

What made the three-pointer even more special was the fact that it was her 1,000th point in her WNBA career, as well as her first made three-pointer since moving to Atlanta. She also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points and 900 rebounds after finishing with a double-double, 12 points and 13 rebounds. 

While the three-pointer isn’t usually part of Angel Reese’s shooting repertoire, the Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko believes it may soon change, given how she’s been working on varying her shots in training. 

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Following their win against the Connecticut Sun, Smesko revealed that Reese has already been working on her shots, particularly her long-range game. 

“She’s been really open to kind of changing her shot, and it’s shown up in practice. She’s gotten hot, make three or four in a row in practice,” said Smesko.  “But in the game, we haven’t had those same releases that we’ve had in practice. But today, that one looked like a good one, right out of her hands. It looked like it was in, and it was in. Hopefully, going forward, as she gets more comfortable with the new shot, it’ll show up in games more.”

“She’s been really open to kind of changing her shot, and it’s shown up in practice. She’s gotten hot, make three or four in a row in practice,” said Smesko.  “But in the game, we haven’t had those same releases that we’ve had in practice. But today, that one looked like a good one, right out of her hands. It looked like it was in, and it was in. Hopefully, going forward, as she gets more comfortable with the new shot, it’ll show up in games more.”

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Reese’s lone three-pointer of the night adds to her tally of eight three-pointers made from 48 attempts. With how Smesko sees her in practice, the league may just need to ready themselves as the Bayou Barbie looks to evolve her game even more.