She’s 6’4, Under the Rim… And Still Missed Again. Then the Chart Dropped—And It All Fell Apart

The arena was already quiet.
Not from tension, but confusion.

Angel Reese had the ball.
Close range.
No one in her way.
Two feet from the basket.
She rose up—

—and missed. Again.

The camera didn’t cut to the ball.
It cut to her coach’s face.
Frozen. Blank. Tight-lipped.

No words.
Just a silent recognition: something’s not right.

And then, hours later, it hit the internet.

The Chart That Sent the WNBA Into Chaos

It wasn’t posted by ESPN.
It didn’t come from the league.

Just a clean, brutal stat line.

“Layup percentage – WNBA (min. 35 attempts)”

At the very bottom:
Angel Reese – 31%

That wasn’t just low.
It was the worst in the entire league.

Worse than guards.
Worse than players six inches shorter.
Worse than any rookie, any veteran.
Just… worst.

And she’d taken 54 layups.

Out of those?
Only 16 went in.

From Chart to Meme: How the Internet Reacted

Social media didn’t pause. It pounced.

“She’s allergic to layups.”

“Built like a center, finishing like a shooting guard at 3 a.m.”

“31% is not a percentage. That’s a crisis.”

Clips were slowed down.
Misses replayed over circus music.
One video simply captioned: “Close your eyes. She probably still misses.”

But this wasn’t just bullying.

There was concern. Genuine concern.

Because Reese wasn’t some fringe player.
She’s one of the most hyped rookies. A national title holder. A symbol of new energy in the league.

So why were the numbers so brutal?

Then Came the Clip

If the chart was shocking, the clip was damning.

Reese grabs a board. She doesn’t set her feet.
Doesn’t glance at the rim.
Just flings the ball upward from her hip — rushed, off-balance, mechanical. It clanks hard off the backboard.

The bench behind her doesn’t even flinch.
They’ve seen it before.

And so had the fans.

That one play went viral. Not for its failure, but for what it revealed:
It wasn’t just bad luck. It was a pattern.

When Numbers Become Narrative

Let’s go deeper.

League average for layups? ~69%

A’ja Wilson? 72%

Aaliyah Boston? 69%

Even 5’8” Kelsey Plum? 42%

Angel Reese? 31%

And she’s third in total attempts.

This isn’t a cold streak.
It’s a fundamental flaw.

Fans Asked: “What’s Going Wrong?”

Analysts, fans, even WNBA players started breaking it down.

➤ Mechanics?

She’s rushing the shot.
No lift.
No square hips.
Eyes off the rim.

➤ Mindset?

She’s not finishing to score.
She’s finishing to draw fouls.
And when the whistle doesn’t blow, the ball doesn’t go in.

➤ System?

She grabs rebounds and goes right back up — regardless of traffic.
She’s not reading the defense, just forcing outcomes.

Then Came the Comparison No One Could Ignore

Camila Cardoso. Same size. Same position. Same team.

Layup percentage? 56.2%

Attempts? Fewer, but far more efficient.

Cardoso sets, lifts, finishes clean.
Reese? She panics.

The footage made the gap obvious.
The numbers made it painful.

What’s the Cost?

Missed layups aren’t just missed points.

They kill momentum.
They stall ball movement.
They shrink spacing.
They destroy second-chance scoring.

And worst of all?
They erode trust.

Teammates start looking elsewhere.
Defenders know she won’t pass.
Coaches stop drawing up looks.

It’s not personal. It’s tactical.

And in the WNBA, you don’t get many chances to prove your value before teams adjust.

So Can She Fix It?

Yes — and that’s the maddening part.

This isn’t about talent. It’s about timing, decision-making, and muscle memory.

Reese doesn’t need to overhaul her game.

She just needs to:

Pause

Set

Scan

Decide whether to go up… or kick out

That’s it.
And if she does? The Sky’s offense transforms overnight.

The Sky’s Hidden Weapon — If She Uses It

Every rebound she grabs could be:

A second-chance finish

A kickout to a 3-point shooter

A quick feed to Cardoso for an easy two

But when she forces bad angles?
The defense collapses.
The offense stalls.
And everyone suffers.

Reese Isn’t a Bust. She’s a Rebuild Waiting to Happen

Nobody’s writing her off.
But everyone’s watching.

Because the league’s fans aren’t stupid.
They know what a development curve looks like.

They also know when someone isn’t adapting.

And at this rate?

“She’s 6’4, gets her own rebounds… and the best-case scenario is ‘just kick it out this time.’ That’s a problem.”

What Makes This Story Hit Harder?

The contrast.

Angel Reese came in with swagger, stats, and spotlight.
Now she’s shooting worse than anyone in the league at the easiest shot in the game.

Meanwhile, players like Cardoso — quiet, consistent, mechanical — are quietly doing exactly what the Sky need… and not getting the ball enough.

“Use the 56% shooter. Let the 31% shooter reset,” one analyst said. “That’s not hate. That’s math.”

Will She Make the Shift?

That’s the real drama.

Because if she keeps forcing it — the memes won’t stop.
The stats won’t bounce back.
And the league will keep asking:

Is Angel Reese a starter… or just a storyline?

She doesn’t need a highlight play. She needs one clean layup. One moment of control. Then another. And another. Until the narrative changes. Until the numbers

Disclaimer:
Moments like these don’t just live in the stat sheet. They live in how we remember them, replay them, talk about them. The numbers are real. The footage is undeniable. But the meaning — that’s something evolving in real time. This piece reflects not just a performance, but the questions, commentary, and conversations that followed. Whether through analyst breakdowns, sideline reactions, or the millions of fans watching in silence, one thing is certain: the story being told isn’t about a single miss — it’s about what those misses now represent.