Angel Reese is having the time of her life. From jersey sales to ticket sales, she has played a major part in the game’s growth. The 22-year-old also made it to the All-Star team and will be plying her trade against Team USA, which some also feel will prove that she is no lesser than her counterparts. Moreover, she topped the chart in the New York Times’ rookie rankings. Despite having an exceptional year, however, Reese, much like other rookies, still has to make some adjustments in the WNBA. And ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas pointed out one of Reese’s weaknesses.

Arenas was present on his namesake podcast, The Gil’s Arena, with Los Angeles Sparks star Lexie Brown when he spoke at length about Reese’s performance in the WNBA. Fans were excited to get some major insight into Reese’s game.

Gilbert Arenas points to Angel Reese’s weakness

Arenas was defending Reese against the major criticism on Thursday enunciating that the 2023 NCAA Champion getting rebounds on her own shots wasn’t an issue. But it is her offensive side that needs to be groomed, which is one of her weaknesses. 

“We already knew offensively like when… when people were saying she should go back to school, it was basically to work on your offensive game a little bit more. But that no one said anything about her defense and her rebound and they already knew,” Arenas stated on Gil’s Arena.

Arenas also predicted that Reese will have to work on her offensive game to better herself while the Maryland-born will make a name for herself in rebounding. “She’s going to get her rebound… is going to be elite forever,” Arenas added. Listening to the argument, Brown too came in support of Arenas stating, “Once her offensive game catches up to that, her rebounds might go down a little.”

Reese is having an exceptional season. She has averaged 13.2 and 11.8 rebounds per game. In fact, she leads the league in rebounds. Nonetheless, the Chi-Town Barbie has drawn major flak because of her rebounding skills. As per fans, Reese takes most of her rebounds on her own missed shots. This, many fans believe, is one of her weaknesses.

Though Reese has decent offensive stats, her shooting numbers are quite average. She has a 39.7% field goal percentage despite most of her shots coming from inside the paint. And as per Brown, once Reese betters her offensive game, she will not rebound her own shots, which will also shut her critics. Meanwhile, all this time she has been the frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year debate.

Despite major criticism, Angel Reese is a star rookie

In June, Reese achieved the top spot in the Rookie of the Year race ahead of her arch-rival Caitlin Clark in the New York Times rankings. After her exceptional display against the Indiana Fever in late June, where she had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Reese was also predicted as the Rookie of the Year by major journalists, including Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe.

Reese has now also made it to the All-Star roster and it will be interesting to see who performs better – Clark or Reese – during the game against Team USA. Now that Arenas has exposed Reese’s weakness, teams will be more wary of her offensive rebounds. And in turn, they will ensure that she doesn’t propel the Chicago Sky to win games. Reese’s fans would be hoping that she soon improves her offensive game and comes out on top as a winner.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.