A’ja Wilson believes Angel Reese’s game will transition well to WNBA
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson, a two-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion, joined Showtime Basketball’s weekly podcast series “All the Smoke” with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. She discussed the WNBA, NIL and which college players she sees transitioning to the league from college.
Wilson was asked how she believes LSU forward Angel Reese’s game will transition to the WNBA and she highlighted Reese’s rebounding abilities as key.
“I think it’s going to transfer pretty fair out because I feel like she has a niche to her,” Wilson said. “I’ve seen her rebound so much that I feel like that’s going to be her key when she gets to the league. Now, if she keeps that up, I feel like that’s going to be huge, but I think that’s what’s going to be the separating factor for her.
“Obviously, she has got a couple of years to grow just to let it translate over and it’s gonna be tough and hard because our league is so tough. I can’t express that to so many people. We have some dogs at every position, and it’s hard coming in being a four and a five; it really is. I think when I see her play, I’m like, ‘All right, she got a little something to her and can then translate that over to the pros.'”
Reese won the 2023 NCAA championship with LSU after transferring from Maryland. She led the SEC in both scoring (23 points per game) and rebounding (15.4), becoming just the fourth player in conference history to lead the league in both categories.
Additionally, she set an NCAA record with 34 double-doubles last season. She is averaging 19.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in eight games this season.
