In this thread, there was some debate about the extent of Reese's prior injuries and whether or not she has a metal rod supporting her tibia.
She does, it came after the foot injury which also required surgery:
Angel Reese's Grisly Injury History Made Her Consider Quitting Basketball
WNBA rookie Angel Reese endured two brutal injuries at the beginning of her college career that made her consider quitting basketball.heavy.com
Fair. Doesn’t make her anymore appealing to watch. So unathletic out there. Playing patty cake with your own misses at the rim is a setback for women’s basketball.