How close are the Chicago Sky to completing their overhaul before the 2025 WNBA season?
Chicago took giant leaps to turn its offense around behind two skillful guards in Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot. In what Vandersloot described as a "point guard's dream," the 14-year veteran and Sky legend will be paired up with two of the league's brightest young bigs in forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso.
"It played a big role in why I wanted to go there," Vandersloot said in January, via a tweet from @AngelAndKamilla. "I think that adding them to the roster last year was huge, and I'm looking to help them expand their games.
"But they're going to make me great too."
The passing and playmaking of Vandersloot, a 5-time All-Star and one of the WNBA's all-time leaders in assists, can elevate the games of the Sky's sophomore big duo. Atkins and guard Chelsea Gray started to unlock the potential of Reese in the pick-and-roll during her stint with Unrivaled's Rose Basketball Club, which could be a point of promise for the rookie All-Star as she begins to work with her new Sky backcourt duo this spring. Will the added guard depth be enough to push them back into playoff contention? Or will they need to keep searching for the right players to pair with their bigs of the future?
The Sky must continue to add talented defenders
While the Sky have made a point to improve their offense with proven talent, it's often said that defense wins championships.
Chicago has a handful of proficient defenders to rely on going into its 2025 campaign. Both Cardoso and Reese earned their places on the WNBA's All-Rookie team through their tough defense and rebounding skill. The duo combined for 21 rebounds per game as they helped mold Chicago into one of the league's top rebounding squads for the first time since 2019. Adding Atkins, a 5-time All-Defensive selection during her WNBA career, can help shore up its defense on the perimeter. Center Elizabeth Williams can be a valuable defender off the bench after earning two All-Defensive team selections of her own.
Still, the Sky could use a few more defenders to improve their game and establish themselves as a competitive squad in 2025.
The Sky ended last season with a defensive rating of 103.5, putting them just behind the Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream in ninth place in the WNBA. Its active and aggressive defense proved to be reliable in the first few games of the Sky's 2024 campaign as they led the league with 11 steals per game in May. Chicago's defensive potency started to taper off as forced fewer turnovers, where it eventually fell to 10th place in the league in defensive rating by August.
With limited options left to sign or trade for, Chicago may need to look to the 2025 WNBA Draft to add to their defensive potential for the foreseeable future.
NC State guard Saniya Rivers could be a player to look out for in the second round as she averages 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Ole Miss forward Madison Scott, a two-time SEC All-Defensive selection, may be someone to keep an eye on if she can up her attempts from the 3-point line. Armed with three picks in this year's draft, the Sky will have plenty of options to put to the test before they take to Wintrust Arena in a few short months.