The grueling and tedious wait for the commencement of the WNBA regular season is nearly over. When the Chicago Sky tip-off against the Indiana Fever on May 17, several intriguing storylines will be waiting to unfold throughout the campaign.
Which player will be handed the keys to the offense?
With Chennedy Carter, their leading scorer in 2024, dipping her toe into the free agency market, the Sky will be desperate to fill the offensive void the star left in her wake. Carter averaged a healthy 17.5 points per game in a side that lacked any form of scoring talent - Chicago scored just 77.4 points per matchup.
The newly appointed head coach, Tyler Marsh, has been supplied with several menacing options during an ambitious off-season that saw the franchise trade their No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics for a dynamic guard in Ariel Atkins. Still only 28 years old, Atkins brings championship-level experience and boasts a deadly scoring presence. The Texas graduate averaged 14.9 points per game while shooting around 44% from the floor.
The former Mystics guard has proven to be a reliable option on offense in the past. Marsh can also consider structuring his attacking game plan around the sensational Angel Reese if her efficiency shows signs of positive development throughout the year. Reese chalked up 13.6 points per game last season. However, she posted a worrying field goal percentage of about 39%.
Will the new head coach stick with a dependable option to ignite the Sky's offense or gamble on a young star to be the primary scoring option for years to come?
Where will Hailey Van Lith fit in the Sky's rotation?
Van Lith was selected with Chicago's No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether the rookie will be trusted to immediately impact the roster or if she will have to take a back seat during the opening periods of the season.
With the acquisition of Atkins and the legendary Courtney Vandersloot choosing to return to the Windy City after her championship-winning season with the New York Liberty, it would appear that the TCU graduate will face an uphill battle to snatch a starting berth away from the veteran pairing. Vandersloot has showcased elite playmaking abilities throughout her 14 seasons in the WNBA. She topped the assist charts for the year on seven different occasions.
Despite the high levels of creativity and basketball intelligence, the 36-year-old has been handed a reduced role in recent years. In the 2024 postseason, New York reduced Vandersloot's time on the court to just over 14 minutes per game. Despite this, she still averaged 2.5 assists per contest. Van Lith will be hoping that the string of consistent performances during her time at TCU, in which she was awarded the Big 12 Player of the Year award, will have shown her new team that she is ready to carry the burden of a larger role in the rotation during her rookie year.
Will a potential bumpy start be enough to derail playoff ambitions?
The Sky will face a challenging start to their 2025 campaign. They will face Caitlin Clark and the impressively refurbished Fever in their season opener before take on the WNBA reigning champions in the New York Liberty. A daunting task will be made more difficult as Chicago's new head coach looks to imprint his tactical identity onto the franchise. Will fans have the patience to withstand a rough ride early in the year?
Wholesale changes have been enacted during the offseason for the 2021 WNBA champions. The appointment of Marsh and the recruitment of several assistants such as Courtney Paris, Tanisha Wright and Rena Wakama. The Sky also acquired four young players in the 2025 draft process, which suggests the front office may be looking to create a blueprint for the future.
Difficult match-ups in the early stages of the regular season could favor the Sky. While the roster undergoes the challenges of building team chemistry and ironing out any teething issues they have with their game plan, Chicago will face franchises with their own obstacles to overcome. With a talented pool of players expected to declare for the 2026 WNBA Draft, there could be a change of ambition in the Windy City if results on the court are not positive early on.