A common Angel Reese observation kept cropping up among the Liberty’s stars.
Reese, picked No. 7 by the Sky in last month’s WNBA Draft after starring at LSU, is implacable.
“She’s a workhorse,” Breanna Stewart told The Post before the teams clashed Thursday night at Barclays Center. “She doesn’t stop. She’s tough, she’s strong, she’s tough to box out and good at cleaning up for her team offensively and defensively.”
Jonquel Jones echoed the same sentiment.
Reese entered Thursday’s game averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds — 6.0 of which were offensive rebounds — per game.
“I feel like she’s an energizer bunny,” Jones told The Post on Thursday morning. “She doesn’t stop moving, she doesn’t stop crashing the boards. Just someone that is gonna be relentless in her approach to getting to the glass and playing tough.”
Besides their preseason meeting, Thursday night represented the first time the Liberty got to match up with Reese, one of the biggest stars to enter the WNBA in recent years after winning a national championship at LSU and amassing one of the largest social media followings in sports.
The Liberty have already gotten two looks at Caitlin Clark, arguably the biggest superstar ever to enter the league after being drafted No. 1 by the Fever last month.
Reese’s first experience playing in New York perfectly fits the “relentless” description bestowed upon her.
Though she grew up in Maryland, Reese played a tournament at Christ the King in Queens as a freshman in high school.
It coincidentally came against Reese’s collegiate rival, and now WNBA teammate, Kamilla Cardoso, who grew up in Tennessee but whose high school was also playing in the tournament.
Reese recalled hitting a buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime, though Cardoso came out on top that day.
But that game was the first time Reese recorded over 20 points and 20 rebounds, she claimed.
Relentless. Workhorse. Doesn’t stop.
“I’ve had a great feeling here,” Reese said Thursday morning. “New York has always been great to me, amazing, I just love being here. It’s close to home, a lot of my family is gonna be able to come out tonight. I’ve never actually played in the Barclays Center, so this is gonna be my first time. The gym is amazing, just being able to see what it looks like, being able to put my feet on the ground is cool.”
Reese has certainly spent a lot of time in New York recently.
She was in Brooklyn last month for the WNBA draft, which took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
She returned this month for the Met Gala, just days before the WNBA season started.
And on Thursday, she was back in the Big Apple for a test against one of the WNBA’s most imposing opponents, and last year’s runners-up.
“Being able to play against top talent is always something I look forward to,” Reese said. “Knowing what New York brings and gives, they’re deadly from the 3-point line, but they’re also great at the 4s and 5s too.”
Jones was drafted at nearly the same spot as Reese — No. 6 in the 2016 draft.
And like Reese, Jones bullies opponents with her size and athleticism, thriving in the paint with a dogged pursuit of rebounds.
She’s been a fan of Reese’s from afar.
“I think any time you’re a high draft pick, people are expecting a lot from you,” Jones said. “Especially a player like her, who garnered so much attention, rightfully so, in college. I think she’s done a great job handling the media, handling some of the extracurriculars that come with being a female with her attention and her being a star in her own right. Just continuing to grow, continuing to learn the game and the pace of the WNBA and just continuing to play hard.”
All that attention — brought onto Reese through her on-court exploits and off-court following — has delivered high expectations and pressure, shining a bright spotlight on her every move.
Stewart can empathize, a former No. 1-overall pick in 2016 after a legendary college career at UConn.
“When you come into this league, it’s the outside that’s really expecting you to do something right away,” Stewart said. “As players, we understand and respect that it takes time. This is the WNBA. Coming from college to here is a big jump. For her to keep learning and keep getting better every day, I think that’s the main thing because this season is gonna go by really fast and there’s a lot that’s going to happen, so making sure she understands why she’s doing the things on the court that she’s doing.”
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