The Chicago Sky made a lot of changes this offseason. They let Chennedy Carter go, brought back veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot, traded a lottery pick for Ariel Atkins, and signed Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse in free agency. The Sky also hired a new head coach, replacing Teresa Weatherspoon with former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh.
Those changes were supposed to improve the team around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. So far, that has not worked out. The Sky are off to a rough start, losing all three of their games to start the season. Chicago’s first two games against the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty were especially bad, but the Sky also couldn’t beat the Los Angeles Sparks with Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell, and Rickea Jackson all out.
If things don’t improve soon, Tyler Marsh may be on his way out of Chicago after just one season.
The Sky’s decision to replace Teresa Weatherspoon was controversial
The Sky’s firing of Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season with a rebuilding roster focused on two rookies was rather surprising. Angel Reese, in particular, was not happy with the decision. She took to social media to express her heartbreak, making fans wonder if the front office had just made a massive mistake. Reese is only a young player, and the Sky have no responsibility to heed her wishes, but it always helps if your star player likes the team’s head coach.
The problem seemed to be solved when Reese reacted positively to the news of Marsh’s hiring as the Sky’s new head coach. Marsh has a background in player development—one of his major accomplishments with the Aces was turning Jackie Young into a serious 3-point threat—and he seemed to be the perfect coach for a team trying to develop two young players.
The Sky have not solved any of their issues from last season
So far, the Sky have not solved any of the most pressing issues the team had last season. The team does not look great offensively, posting the worst offensive rating in the league to start the season. Rachel Banham was the only player averaging double-digits going into the Sky’s loss to the Sparks.
On top of that, the Sky’s 3-point shooting is still bad at 28.4 percent over three games. Ariel Atkins and Rachel Banham are the only players on the roster who can currently reliably space the floor.
Angel Reese also hasn’t had an easy start to the season. Her rebounding has been on full display and she logged two double-doubles, but her baskets have not come easy. Against the Liberty, she missed all eight of her field goal attempts and finished the game with only two points. Chicago is asking Reese to do a lot early in the season and it has not led to wins so far.
If the Sky don’t want to finish the season at the bottom of the standings again, all of these things must improve, and it is Marsh’s responsibility to get the team ready to be more competitive.
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