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MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was 100% Right About Angel Reese
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- MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was 100% Right About Angel Reese
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Prior to their run to the WNBA Finals last summer, the Minnesota Lynx held the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft . But instead of using that draft slot to select a player, Lynx president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve swapped picks with the Chicago Sky , sliding one spot down to No. 8 overall.
And with their newly acquired No. 7 overall draft pick, the Sky selected LSU post player, Angel Reese , who went on to finish second in 2024 Rookie of the Year voting, behind only Caitlin Clark . Minnesota picked Alissa Pili , another post out of Utah.
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As history tells us, the MN Lynx went on to fall in five games to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals, just short of what would've been their fifth WNBA title.
Remember when the Minnesota Lynx passed on drafting Angel Reese?
Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
After the draft, Reeve suggested that Angel Reese wouldn't have been a good fit on the Minnesota roster. Then, in an article he wrote in mid-August 2024 , local columnist Patrick Reusse (Star Tribune) revealed what everyone already knew. The real reason why Reeve traded out of the No. 7 overall pick was quite literally to avoid Reese.
Which begs the question: could Reeve, also the team president, really afford to not draft talent because she didn't want to coach someone? That is what occurred in the mid-April draft, when she traded down to avoid taking Angel Reese with the seventh pick, leaving the Lynx to take a flier on Pili at No. 8.
Could Angel Reese have changed that outcome for the Lynx? Maybe not, but I did argue at the time that, had Reeve drafted Reese, life would've been better for the Minnesota Lynx future.
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Related: Minnesota Lynx Passed on Angel Reese Because Cheryl Reeve Did Not Want to Coach Her
After all, Minnesota needed help on the interior and Reese was one of the top post players in the draft, not to mention her starpower being second only to her 2024 draft classmate, Caitlin Clark. In fact, I all but called for Cheryl's job.
If Cheryl Reeve can't make objective decisions that make the Minnesota Lynx (and Team USA) better, then why does she have her job? I thought this was about winning?
Now here we are, one year later. The Minnesota Lynx are off to a 3-0 start in the 2025 WNBA regular season. Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are 0-2, following two blowout losses to start their summer.
Turns out… Angel Reese is not very good at basketball
How was Angel Reese in those first two games? Well… that depends on how you judge a basketball player. If you want lots of rebounds and muscle out of your post players, Reese always provides that. After averaging 13.2 rebounds per game as a rookie, Reese is up to 14.5 rebounds per game in year two .
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But if you want your Minnesota Lynx stars to do anything else… like dribble, shoot or pass… then you might want to find another WNBA player to follow, because Angel can do none of those things.
She is averaging 7 points per game, nearly half of what she did as a rookie, and she's shooting 22.7% from the field. Most of Reese's shots come from within 5 feet of the basket. What does 22.7% from layup distance look like, you ask? Pretty much how you'd imagine.
Angel Reese with her signature move 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/K3slCimkq8
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) May 23, 2025
Angel Reese is BACK. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/h0Mm6DAmH8
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) May 17, 2025
Those who follow MSF may know that I am the biggest Cheryl Reeve critic in Minnesota. But I am also willing to raise my hand and admit when I am wrong. So, I have come here today to apologize to the MN Lynx PoBO. Because I missed the mark big time on this one.
MN Lynx PoBO Cheryl Reeve was right… I was wrong
Cheryl, you were right. I was wrong. You were smart, I was dumb. While it's likely Angel Reese would have put the Minnesota Lynx into the news cycle more often — In fact, there's a 100% chance of that — it wouldn't have been worth watching her try to play basketball on a regular basis.
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When it comes to Reese, Reeve was right to do everything within her power to avoid drafting the LSU bricklayer, who might be the most unskilled basketball star in the game's history.
In fact, I'd argue passing on Reese was the best thing this organization has done since winning its last WNBA championship. So you may not hear me say this often. But Cheryl deserves lots of credit here, because not every decision maker in her position would have had the instinct she did on Reese.
