Have the Chicago Sky found their backup four of the future in this year's draft?
The Sky took a chance on Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld, a fifth-year forward with plenty of experience on high-level Fighting Irish squads. The 6-foot-3 forward started in all but three of her games and saw four Sweet 16 appearances with Notre Dame. She played alongside a trio of high-level guards, including a Washington Mystics first-rounder in Sonia Citron. Should everything work in the Sky's favor, the ACC standout can provide a solid amount of depth and pair well with Chicago's high-level bigs.
While the Sky have added plenty of depth at the guard spots, they still need to look out for backup frontcourt competition as training camp rolls around. Center Elizabeth Williams will likely have the backup center spot on lock. Still, Westbeld and forward Morgan Bertsch will need to prove themselves to help alleviate some pressure off a star sophomore in Angel Reese. Reese, a rookie All-Star and first-round selection for Chicago, played the second-most minutes per game for the Sky last season. She only trailed now-Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey, who played a key role in keeping the Sky's offense afloat before being traded to her current squad last July.
The Sky need Westbeld to stretch the floor off the bench
It's no secret the Sky still need players who can stretch the floor.
Chicago earned some of the worst marks in the league from beyond the arc last season. Their troubling efficiency was highlighted by an up-and-down season from the 3-point line. They added players who can be more consistent from long range in Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins and a familiar legend in Courtney Vandersloot.
Still, it would help to add more long-range shooting to open up the Sky's offense in the future.
Though her numbers may not jump off the page, Westbeld can be the glue the Sky need to keep their offense humming off the bench. She made about 35% of her 3-point shots over her five-year collegiate career, including a stunning 38.8% in her freshman year. Should they run lineups with some of their new guard signings at the small forward, the Sky could roll out four shooters on the floor at once in their 2025 campaign. If Westbeld can be a notable contributor and shooting spark plug off the bench, she can be a steal for Chicago and a valuable part of their revamped bench.