"Left a bad taste in my mouth": Angel Reese doesn't sugarcoat feelings on emotional toll of challenging rookie year

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese was one of the best rookies in her class, along with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. However, she faced a lot of scrutiny from WNBA fans who painted her as jealous of Clark's success and said that she wasn't anywhere near as good a player as her rival. That, combined with one of the first losing seasons of her life, has Reese ready to move on from the past.

The All-Star forward set a record for double-doubles in a rookie season with 26 and fell just short of leading the league in total rebounds, finishing behind Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson after missing the last six games of the regular season with a wrist injury. The former LSU star did everything she wanted to do in her first professional season except win.

The Sky finished 2024 at 13-27, missing the postseason by just two games. In an interview with the Associated Press, Angel Reese talked about her rookie season and how it impacted her, both on and off the court. She explained why her struggled to win games, they were competitive throughout the year.

"I wasn't used to that," Reese said. "It just takes an adjustment. It's something that you don't want to get used to because you don't want to get in a mindset, like, 'Oh, we're just going to be losing every night.' We were right there every night."

Reese averaged 13.6 points and a league-record 13.1 rebounds per game in the 34 games she appeared in. Unfortunately, her wrist injury ended her season prematurely and her team flamed out without her. Looking back at the underwhelming conclusion of her rookie season, Reese isn't too happy about how things went.

"Obviously, that left a bad taste in my mouth," she said.

Angel Reese, along with fellow 2024 lottery pick Kamilla Cardoso, have a chance to rebound in 2025 and lead their team back to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

How has Angel Reese prepared for the 2025 season?

Angel Reese turned heads at this year's Met Gala and has been busy off the court during the WNBA offseason, but she also spent a lot of time improving her game. She helped lead Rose BC to the Unrivaled championship in the 3v3 league's inaugural season alongside Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Cooper. The experience served her well, giving her the opportunity to grow her offensive game.

The Sky didn't take the offseason off either. Chicago was aggressive during the offseason, bringing back fan franchise legend Courtney Vandersloot and trading for Ariel Atkins. They also reunited former LSU teammates at the 2025 WNBA Draft, picking Hailey Van Lith with the 11th overall pick.

While the moves they made will help the team improve, the Sky will go as far as Reese can lead them in her second season. One thing is for sure, though, she is ready to take the next step in her career and turn her excellent performances into winning efforts in 2025. She will have a chance for a statement win to start the season against Clark and the Fever.

About the author

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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Edited by Zachary Howell