Because her team is 7-17, you guys are disparaging QUEEN Angel Reese. Wait till next year, bro. This Sky squad will be the best in the WNBA. This can be bookmarked for future year! Next season’s 2026 WNBA Champions, and

Angel Reese is already a force in the WNBA, regardless of her team’s current 7-17 record. The criticism she receives isn’t reflective of her actual value, production, or potential—it’s rooted in impatience, bias, and a short memory for how greatness evolves. Her presence on the court isn’t just about stats, though she’s piling those up at an impressive rate for a rookie. It’s about energy, identity, and the undeniable fact that she’s helping to redefine what it means to be a rookie leader in a league that has never been more competitive. While others focus on the record, the real ones know how to read between the lines and see the future that’s being built in Chicago.

Angel came into the league with the spotlight already on her, after a legendary run at LSU. That spotlight brought with it pressure, critics, and people who expected perfection right away. But this league isn’t built like that. The WNBA is full of veterans, former MVPs, Olympians, and defensive juggernauts. It’s not easy to walk in and dominate from day one, and yet Angel has made her mark. She’s leading all rookies in double-doubles, rebounding like a seasoned pro, and doing it all while adjusting to a new system, a new pace, and a new level of physicality. She’s not just surviving—she’s setting the tone for what’s to come.

And the Chicago Sky? Don’t get it twisted. This team is laying the foundation for something special. Yes, 7-17 is a tough record. Yes, they’re currently out of the playoff picture. But that number doesn’t tell the full story. This is a young squad with new pieces, a coaching change, and one of the toughest schedules in the league. Close games have been lost not because of lack of talent, but because of youth and inexperience. That changes fast in the WNBA, and next season will look completely different. Watch how those close losses become gritty wins. Watch how chemistry improves, how execution sharpens, how these battles turn into lessons that fuel a postseason run.

It starts with Angel, but it doesn’t end there. Kamilla Cardoso is another young star waiting to unleash her full potential, and together they form one of the most intimidating frontcourts the league has seen in years. Rebounding, rim protection, high-energy post play—Chicago’s paint presence is about to become a nightmare for opponents. Add in players like Marina Mabrey, who can light it up from deep, and Dana Evans, a playmaker with heart and hustle, and you’ve got the core of something real. With a little more consistency and some off-season development, this team will have all the tools they need to contend.

The reason Angel Reese is such a lightning rod isn’t because she’s overrated—it’s because people know how good she can be. They just don’t want to admit it yet. Some folks have a hard time accepting confident, unapologetic women who bring swagger to their game. Angel is loud, proud, and plays with a chip on her shoulder. That rubs people the wrong way, especially when they’ve already decided what a “good rookie” should look like. But she’s not here to play by their rules. She’s rewriting them. She talks her talk and then backs it up with elite-level hustle, toughness, and production. Night in, night out.

Let’s also talk about what it means to be a leader on a losing team. It’s easy to lead when things are going well. It’s easy to smile for the cameras and give good quotes when your squad is rolling through the competition. But what Angel’s doing—keeping her head high, staying focused, lifting her teammates even while the team struggles—is next-level maturity. She shows up. She plays hard. She defends. She hits the boards. She brings effort every single night, no matter what the score is. That kind of leadership doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it matters. It lays the groundwork for future banners.

And make no mistake: the Sky are building toward a banner. 2026 isn’t some pipe dream—it’s a real, tangible goal. A championship team needs talent, chemistry, experience, and identity. Chicago is checking off those boxes one by one. They’ve got two young franchise players in Reese and Cardoso, a proven scorer in Mabrey, a core that’s growing together, and the cap space to make strategic moves. Add in the draft picks and potential offseason signings, and suddenly the Sky look like a team nobody will want to face in a seven-game series. Playoff experience is coming. Momentum is building. The narrative is shifting, even if the win column doesn’t show it yet.

The league better take notice, because Angel isn’t going to stop improving. Her rookie numbers are already strong, and once she adds even more polish to her offensive game—finishing through contact, midrange shooting, passing out of double teams—she’s going to be unguardable. Her defensive instincts are growing, and she already rebounds with the best of them. What’s scary is she’s nowhere near her ceiling. The work ethic, the confidence, the competitiveness—it’s all there. By 2026, she could easily be an MVP candidate, and the centerpiece of a championship team.

This isn’t just hope. It’s a pattern. Look around the league and you’ll see how many stars had slow starts or tough rookie seasons before breaking out. Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, all went through growing pains before leading deep playoff runs. Winning in the WNBA takes time, and greatness doesn’t happen overnight. Angel is following that blueprint. If she keeps trending up the way she has been, and if the Sky keep building around her like they’ve started to, there’s no reason they can’t be cutting down nets in 2026.

So go ahead and bookmark this. Screenshot it. Save it in your receipts folder. Because next season, when the Sky are beating top-tier teams, when Angel’s averaging a double-double again and leading with confidence, all those who doubted her will have to face the facts. The slander will be silence. The noise will become respect. The same analysts who questioned her impact will be forced to admit they were wrong. That’s how it always goes. First they doubt you, then they watch you win.

Angel Reese is not just the future of the Sky—she’s part of the future of the WNBA. And with the kind of foundation she’s laying now, through adversity, through noise, through every challenge, that future is bright. Championships aren’t built in a day, but they are built by players like her. So if you think this 7-17 record means anything in the long run, you haven’t been paying attention. This is just the beginning. The real story starts next season. And by 2026, it could end with confetti in Chicago.