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Can Angel Reese transform her shooting game and lead the Chicago Sky to a triumphant comeback?

The Chicago Sky will be on the road to redemption when they come back next season and for that, they have already taken a fast step, bringing their new coach, Tyler Marsh on board. Known for his work as the former player development coach for the Las Vegas Aces, he already shares credits for shaping players like Jackie Young into stars. So how would he leave that attitude coming to Windy City? Now, he shares one transformative approach he wants his team to follow, which might come as an urgent demand for Chicago star Angel Reese to elevate a specific aspect of her game.

Tuesday noon, Tyler Marsh held one of his first media interactions as the new head coach of the Chicago Sky, during the team’s introductory press conference. When asked about the biggest priority for the offseason, he didn’t hesitate in naming where exactly he intends to strengthen his team’s fundamentals.

Shooting. We want shooting. And lots of it,” Tyler Marsh told the media, his tone leaving no room for doubt. Given the Chicago Sky’s struggles last season—ranking second worst in field goal percentage at 42.2% and posting a dismal 30.2% from beyond the arc, the fourth-worst mark in the league—his demand is both fair and urgent and he wants everyone to tighten their laces.

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He added, I told Rachel (Banham) and Michaela (Onyenwere) in our first conversations, ‘when you have it, I want you to feel the confidence of letting it ride’ and that goes for everyone as we gonna get you shooting some threes too. So, yeah, we got some pieces that we’re going to look to add and continue to build around the core.”

The 36-year-old coach laid out his vision for the Chicago Sky, and it’s clear: every player will need to sharpen their shooting skills. While all eyes are on the entire team to step up, the current face of the Sky, Angel Reese, is certainly one who can’t ignore her coach’s words.

Angel Reese’s need of hour under Tyler Marsh’s vision for Chicago

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Though Angel Reese wasn’t present at Tyler Marsh’s introductory press conference and her name wasn’t directly called out, it’s clear she knows that shooting is an area she needs to improve. Her field goal percentage in her rookie season stood at 39.9%, and her three-point shooting was notably low at just 18.8%. In fact, there were six games where her field goal percentage didn’t even hit the 25% mark.

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Can Angel Reese transform her shooting game and lead the Chicago Sky to a triumphant comeback?

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Back in September, WNBA legend Sue Bird shared her thoughts on Angel Reese’s shooting potential, offering an honest assessment. “She kind of knows what shots she’s going to get. All she really needs to do is bump up her shooting percentage by like 3, 4, 5 points, which is totally doable, and all of a sudden we’re looking at a kid instead of averaging like 13 and 13, it’s like 18 and 13… she’s not far off because those shots are coming.”

USA Today via Reuters

While the “Chi-Town Barbie” has never been known for her shooting accuracy beyond the arc—struggling to break 20% even during her college career—she has plenty of room to improve in other areas of her game. Her efficiency in the paint, for example, has dipped below her college averages, indicating a clear area of focus. And she is aware of it.

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When her rookie season came to end, it interestingly did so with a 3-pointer. Here is what she had to say: “maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2.” So Reese is poised to elevate her game and Marsh might have made the arrival just on time.

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