In uneven home debut, Angel Reese still shows what she can offer Dream

Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream home debut contained plenty.

Just not as much of the center of attention as expected.

A sellout crowd at State Farm Arena shrieked its approval of the Dream’s newest star when she was announced before the game and every time she touched the ball in scoring position.

A marquee opponent in the Las Vegas Aces provided a worthy test. An NBC audience captured eyeballs from coast to coast.

The Aces and Dream, among the favorites to capture the WNBA title, delivered a thrilling contest. The home team rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to take the lead in the final minute, a comeback that threatened to loosen the arena’s ceiling from its bolts before the Aces’ last-second game-winner.

“Made a run for it, had a chance to win it and just came up a possession short,” coach Karl Smesko said. “But proud of how we competed and I think we have a lot of room for improvement, which is really exciting for what we’re capable of doing. But obviously, this doesn’t make us feel any better in this particular moment.”

But, in the way that anticipated matchups sometimes don’t materialize as expected, Sunday’s main attraction ended up playing a supporting role.

Reese, the two-time All-Star whose acquisition by trade in April sent shock waves across the league, finished with nine points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. (She was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.)

That stat line included 1-for-7 shooting from inside 4 feet. (This is not new territory for Reese, whose shot is a work in progress.) She was in foul trouble early. Often facing double teams; she turned the ball over a game-high eight times, one shy of her career high. Her 29 minutes were fewest among the Dream’s starting five.

She did collect nine rebounds, her specialty. But it would be difficult to ascribe words like “smashing” or “efficient” to her performance in her first regular-season game in front of her new fan base.

“I think through the course of the season, you’ll get to see her be more comfortable within our stye of play,” Smesko said. “It’s definitely a transition when you go from one team to another and you have to learn a whole new system. I just expect her to get better game by game by game, because that’s the way she’s approaching it in practice.”

Here’s what a Reese (or Dream) supporter could feel good about from this game. Despite her disappointing play, she stayed engaged in the game from the bench.

When a Dream fourth-quarter run compelled Las Vegas to call timeout, Reese was the first off the bench to meet her teammates as they came off the floor.

And when Smesko sent her back in, reentering with 2:30 to play and the score 81-77 in Las Vegas’ favor, she contributed without scoring a point.

She kept alive a possession with an offensive rebound and then called for the ball in the lane. With a delivery from forward Allisha Gray, she whipped the ball from a double team to guard Te-Hina Paopao, who drained a corner 3-pointer to cut the lead to one point. It was the final of Reese’s three assists.

Leading 83-82 in the final minute with the ball, the Aces isolated four-time MVP A’Ja Wilson on Reese at the top of the 3-point arc. Wilson tried to take Reese to the basket, but with Reese guarding closely, Wilson dribbled the ball off her own foot.

Guard Jordin Canada swooped in for the steal and scored in transition, giving the Dream their first lead since the second quarter.

The lead didn’t last, the Aces winning on a jumper in the lane with 3.6 seconds left by Chelsea Gray.

It was a game effort by the Dream without two of their best players, Rhyne Howard (concussion protocol) and Brionna Jones (recovering from knee surgery).

And it was a glimpse of what Reese can offer her new team as it pursues its first league title. Without even attempting a shot, she contributed three winning plays in the final 2:30 that nearly tipped the balance in the Dream’s favor.

Reese’s off-court celebrity has a way of affecting how she’s perceived. But the rebounding machine, deft passer and energy giver — that’s an identity that will surely play well in Atlanta.

While her scoring ability figures to improve with Smesko’s recognized skill for developing that facet of players’ games, Reese has joined a team that doesn’t necessarily need her to give much in that area. Last year, Smesko’s first, the Dream finished second in the league in offensive efficiency. (Defensive efficiency, too.)