Angel Reese put through physical challenge of WNBA in Chicago Sky training camp and makes it look easy

Reese is putting in work and fans took notice

Going from college to the pros in any sport is a huge step up, and nowhere is that more true than the WNBA. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese got thrown to the wolves with a physical challenge in training camp, and the video of her response has fans believing that she belongs at the next level.

Angel Reese’s first buckets with Chicago Sky

The Chicago Sky social media accounts have had their ear to the ground monitoring the influx of new fans since they drafted Reese and Kamilla Cardoso earlier this month. “you all wanna see Angel score a bucket?” the team typed on Instagram.

The accompanying video showed Reese battling with men’s practice players during a drill working on her post-up game. Despite giving up some size to the defender, she worked her way in for a nifty score.

Much like fellow rookie Caitlin Clark at Indiana Fever camp, she is showing her moves can work in the league.

WNBA teams use male players to simulate the size and physicality of the W in practice. For bigs like Angel Reese, who always had a size and athleticism advantage in college, this is a change that often leads to struggles in the pro game.

That jump is even more noticeable in women’s basketball compared to other sports because the talent pool is so condensed, with just 144 roster spots available on the 12 teams in the WNBA.

Nonetheless, Reese appears to be thriving early on, drawing rave reviews for her hard work and team spirit. Add in buckets like the one in the video, and the former LSU star could be carving out a role for the Chicago franchise despite her undersized frame.

“Actually I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was gonna be. I thought it was gonna be crazy,” the Chi Barbie said after her first practice.