Angel Reese is headed to the WNBA Finals with the Atlanta Dream, and the biggest reason why might just be one of the most brutal practices she’s ever endured. Dream coach Karl Smesko, who’s all about layups, threes, and free throws, stopped a drill earlier this season and flat-out refused to let play resume until Reese drained back-to-back 3-pointers. Seriously. He made her do it.
The “Embarrassed, Furious” Moment That Changed Everything
Picture this: practice is buzzing, then Smesko calls a halt. Everyone’s watching. Reese, a defensive player of the year, suddenly has to hit consecutive threes in front of her teammates. She was, by her own admission, part embarrassed, part furious. After a couple of misses, she got it done. The drill resumed. It was a calculated risk by Smesko, who figured if she could handle that kind of pressure from her teammates, she could absolutely do it with thousands of fans watching. Turns out, he was dead right. Reese, who caught flak for missing layups early in her pro career, is now playing with a renewed offensive swagger. “Now it’s so easy, my confidence is through the roof,” Reese said. “When I shoot them, it just feels like practice.” Talk about a mental shift!
From 19% to 39%: The Playoff Glow-Up is Real
Let’s be real, Reese wasn’t exactly Steph Curry from deep in the regular season. She shot a tough 19% from beyond the arc. Smesko told her this shot change would be hard, and those numbers proved him right. But he also promised improvement by the All-Star break, and again, he delivered. Now, in the playoffs, even with a small sample size, she’s absolutely crushing it at 39% from three. That’s a huge jump! In the semifinals against New York, she hit four 3s in a three-game series where the Dream’s average win margin was only five points. Every single one of those buckets mattered. Smesko admitted, “This wouldn’t have worked unless she was open to making significant changes in her shot.” They started working on it just weeks before the season because of labor agreement delays, but Reese didn’t wait. She just went for it. She was dominant in that three-game sweep of the Liberty, too, averaging 20.7 points per game on 48% shooting from the field and a stellar 89% from the foul line.
The Sky’s The Limit for 2027 and Beyond
Reese and Smesko aren’t stopping now; they’re already planning to keep working on her shot next season. And Smesko isn’t holding back on his predictions for 2027. He thinks the league’s defensive player of the year is going to turn into a legitimate, consistent 3-point threat. “The sky’s the limit,” Smesko said. “It’s a lot more comfortable already. And once we can really have the time just to dedicate ourselves to a couple things, I mean, what she’s capable of becoming … it’s going to be amazing.” The Dream kick off the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries this Saturday. With Angel Reese unlocking new levels to her game, it’s going to be wild to watch what she brings to the biggest stage!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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