Last Thursday, the Chicago Sky faced off against the Dallas Wings at the Sky’s home arena. Although the team ended their four-game losing streak and tallied their first win of the 2025 WNBA season, Angel Reese’s performance drew intense criticism. She finished with a mere 6 points on the board — a poor result when compared to teammates Kamilla Cardoso’s 23 points and Ariel Atkins’ 17 points.
In the days following the game, Reese has been lambasted for her performance that fell far short of her expected role as a star scorer, especially given her season-long shooting woes and the spotlight of facing Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, who put 15 points on the board.
Jason Whitlock, however, had a different perspective: Angel Reese just proved she’s making necessary improvements — in her game and maybe even in her treatment of Caitlin Clark.
“Angel Reese actually showed true progress and self-awareness” by only taking 6 shots, he says. “She’s figured out she’s not an offensive player and she’s more of a role player, a rebounder, a distributor, a screen setter.”
The criticism Reese has faced this season has done her a favor, he argues. Her performance on Thursday seemed to say, “Let me adjust my game; let me play in a way that befits my actual skill set.”
“Why is she doing that?” Whitlock asks. “Because her critics have been heard.”
“This is why we have to allow athletes — black, white, whatever color — to be criticized. If we protect them from criticism, if we explain all criticism of them as some form of racism … they never adjust and develop,” he explains.
He hopes that the same criticism that has helped Reese improve as a player will translate to her hatred for Indiana Fever rival Caitlin Clark. If Reese is smart, she will take seriously the disapproval from sports critics like RG3 and drop the feuding with Clark, who has never wronged her.
“The feud, the alleged rivalry with Caitlin Clark — it does not serve you. It serves content creators. It serves racial idolaters. It serves people that want to use you while pretending like they’re your BFF,” says Whitlock. “It would be a big win for Angel Reese, the WNBA, Caitlin Clark, and everybody involved if Angel Reese raised the white flag on her war with Caitlin Clark.”
To hear more of his commentary and analysis, watch the episode above.
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