Angel Reese Draws Defensive Player of the Year Support Ahead of WNBA Playoffs

TV host Rachel DeMita and Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko back Angel Reese for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year as the league prepares to hand out its awards.

The WNBA postseason is underway, and TV host Rachel DeMita has named Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese as her pick for Defensive Player of the Year. League awards will be announced over the next several days, and DeMita made clear she expects Reese to come out on top.

DeMita built her case around Reese's two-way production. She said Reese leads the WNBA in rebounding while also collecting steals and blocks, and she called her an effective isolation defender against both post players and guards. As an example, DeMita pointed to moments when Reese was switched onto a guard, slapped the floor, and came away with a steal.

The praise extended past the box score. DeMita highlighted what Reese has meant for the league's rising profile and called the former LSU standout one of the figures who has moved the women's game forward. "She changes the landscape of the game when she is in the game," DeMita said, explaining why Reese sits at the top of her Defensive Player of the Year ballot.

Reese arrives at this moment with momentum. Speculation about her candidacy began after her performance at the FIBA World Cup, and she followed that stint by earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the third consecutive time.

Support for her case comes from inside the league as well. Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko, speaking to reporters ahead of his team's first-round matchup with the Washington Mystics, said there is no debate about Reese making the All-Defensive Team. In his view, the only question is whether she wins the top award, and he believes she has "a very strong case in a lot of the advanced metrics."

Smesko also championed his own roster. He said Rhyne Howard belongs in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation and that Jordin Canada deserves an All-Defensive Team selection, adding that Atlanta's defensive metrics support multiple players for recognition.

Reese has taken the same position publicly. "When I said the Defensive Player of the Year is in Atlanta? I meant what I said," she told ESPN this week. Reese first made the claim to reporters earlier in the year, pointing to the Dream's defensive strength throughout the season.

The numbers back the confidence. Reese sits third in the league in steals and fourth in defensive rebounds, with a defensive rating of 100.0. She called the takeaways "energy plays" that she tries to bring every night and said her team gives her the freedom to play with aggression.

She enters the playoffs in strong form. Since returning from the World Cup, Reese has averaged 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists across her final four games. Speaking with reporters, per The Blast, she said that stretch was about setting a tone for what the postseason will look like. She added that she is excited for Round 1, with Atlanta set to face Washington.