It's no secret the Chicago Sky needed to revamp their offense before the start of the 2025 season.
Chicago ended last year with their lowest marks in points per game and field goal percentage in over a decade. The Sky lacked scoring, playmaking and shooting options following the final departures of some of the key players who led them to their first championship in 2021, including a star guard in Kahleah Copper. While they still had a few stopgap guards who could keep them above water, it wasn't enough to keep the life their offense once had during their championship run.
Could that change under a new head coach in Tyler Marsh? What can the Sky do to make their offense better than it was before?
It all starts with the bigs
As for most things with the Sky, their giant leaps on offense will begin and end with their sophomore big duo of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
The Sky's offense would benefit immensely if both Reese and Cardoso can be effective passers no matter where they are on the floor. Chicago has already added players like Courtney Vandersloot to up their playmaking potential, but tapping into the smarts and talent of Reese and Cardoso can take it to the next level.
With Marsh, who was an assistant coach with two championship Las Vegas Aces squads, being an all-around force may be the most important thing Reese can be next season.
"We want (Reese) to be dynamic," Marsh said in a Monday conference. "We want her to be able to score inside. We want to be able to create space for her to have more 1-on-1 finishes inside and to not have to feel like she's got to play in a crowd. We want to put the ball in her hands on the perimeter and allow her to facilitate and create off the dribble."
Marsh felt similarly about Cardoso, who showed signs of being a productive passer during her first season with the Sky.
"We want her to be able to facilitate from the low post and the high post areas as well," Marsh said. "She's one of the more mobile bigs in our league.
"We've got to have a free-flowing offense. We've got to be dynamic across the board and create opportunities for each other."
The Sky will have the opportunity to test out their new, dynamic offense when they take the floor against the Brazilian National Team on Friday at 9 p.m. EDT. The preseason matchup will be broadcast on ION.