Angel Reese has been making quiet moves since Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were eliminated
Angel Reese has shown this season that starting over somewhere else does not mean starting from scratch, even when the spotlight is on other stars.
In 2026, Reese had to adjust to a new team, a new locker room and a new dynamic with the Atlanta Dream . Her place as a star was already established, but now she had to prove she could maintain that level in a completely different environment from the one she had known during her first years in the WNBA .
And she did not take long to prove it. Reese finished the regular season with 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.8 assists per game . Her 521 rebounds set a new WNBA record for a single season, while her 32 double-doubles also became a new league record. She was also named the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year .
Her production also helped transform Atlanta's aspirations. The Dream finished 30-14 and secured the No. 4 seed , before getting past the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta then pulled off another surprise in the semifinals, beating the New York Liberty 92-82 in Game 1 .
But while Reese was piling up stats, awards and wins, the conversation around the WNBA continued to center on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever . Even after Indiana was eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces, the interest did not disappear.
That is precisely one of the most interesting parts of Reese's season. Now, away from the spotlight, she is making quiet moves that could be key to helping Atlanta win.
The next chapter of that strategy could come tomorrow, when the Atlanta Dream return to the court to face the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the WNBA Semifinals.
