After the Atlanta Dream’s 68-64 Game 1 defeat to the Golden State Valkyries, Angel Reese, who went scoreless in the second half, told the media she wasn’t “aggressive enough with the ball” and would do a better job the next game. Sure enough, the Bayou Barbie became the youngest player in WNBA history to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

But talking the talk and walking the walk is not something new for Reese. And according to Team USA head coach Kara Lawson, Reese carried that mentality to the international level as well.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed coaching a player more,” Lawson told Sue Bird after she asked about her experience in coaching Reese, via the Bird’s Eye View podcast. “Maybe some as much, for sure. But her focus every day, her competitiveness, her energy, the level of her buy-in, and her belief in herself individually and her belief… in what the team that she’s on can do. She’s hard to mess with.”

Reese did not play many minutes because of the star-studded Team USA roster that won the gold medal last month, but her impact was still visible. She scored 7.2 points per game in the World Cup, led the team in field goal percentage (59.1%), and tied for second on the team in rebounds per game at 5. Lawson’s description of Reese as “hard to mess with” puts that in perspective.

The Defensive Player of the Year is tough on the court, and she plays for the Dream, one of the league’s most physical teams. Reese also never shies away from showing off her dominance. Game 3 against the Valkyries on Wednesday was a perfect example of how she plays. Reese scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and paired her stat sheet presence with some trash-talking on the 6’4 Valkyries center Aminata Gueye.

With 5:00 left in the first quarter, Reese took a pass from Jordin Canada beyond the three-point line and drove straight to the basket for a layup. While Gueye was trying to guard the DPOY, she had no chance as Reese left her in the dust. Reese then went on to celebrate the bucket in front of the Valkyries’ bench, and according to lip readers, said, “She (Gueye) can’t f*** with me.”

A similar moment happened in the second quarter. With 5:04 left on the clock, Reese had the ball just outside the arc with the 6’4 Valkyries center guarding her. She powered through her and made a tough bucket, leaving Gueye and every other Valkyries player watching the ball. “You can’t guard me,” she told Gueye twice after making the shot.

Ahead of their FIBA Women’s World Cup debut, Paige Bueckers once joked that Reese was the teammate most likely to talk trash, and there is clearly truth to that. This is just part of her personality and what fuels her to score the next basket or grab the next rebound.

It can also be traced back to her college days, when Reese hit John Cena’s famous “You Can’t See Me” gesture on Caitlin Clark when the LSU Tigers were on the brink of winning the national championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes back in 2023. Reese scored 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Tigers’ 102-85 victory and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

Lawson also pointed out how much faith Reese has in herself. While she has certainly enjoyed an amazing individual and team season with the Dream in her first season, it was not always the case. With the Chicago Sky, she never even made the playoffs. The Sky were always at the bottom of the standings, and Reese even publicly criticized the front office for their failures. Her mindset, though, never wavered amid the turbulence.

On October 10, 2025, the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship after sweeping the Phoenix Mercury 4-0. On that same day, Reese posted on X, “manifesting the finals >>>”.

The Sky had finished the regular season with a 10-34 record, and a Dream trade seemed unlikely. Still, the Bayou Barbie did not give up on that dream, and 364 days later, she led the Dream to their first WNBA Finals since 2013 after sweeping the New York Liberty 3-0 in the semifinals.

Reese is currently averaging 21.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the WNBA Finals, according to StatMuse. If this brilliant run in form continues, she could become just the third player in WNBA history, after Tamika Catchings (2012) and A’ja Wilson (2023, 2o25), to win both DPOY and Finals MVP in the same season. Still, there is a long way to go, as Reese and the Dream will look to gain a 3-1 lead in the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena on October 24.

The post "She's Hard to Mess With": Kara Lawson Reveals What Surprised Her About Angel Reese After Their Team USA Experience appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.