After the 2025 season, the Chicago Sky knew exactly what they needed to improve. They finished the regular season with the second-worst offensive rating in the league. Their playmaking and 3-point shooting needed some serious work.
Bringing back veteran Courtney Vandersloot was a great answer to the playmaking issues. Adding Ariel Atkins and Kia Nurse should help with the 3-point shooting. Atkins, in particular, has been a good 3-point shooter, shooting 36.2 percent for her career. Nevertheless, the Sky did not look like an improved 3-point shooting team in their season opener.
The Sky’s 3-point shooting is still an issue
One of the Sky’s goals for the season was to increase the number of 3-point attempts. That was evident in the season opener. The Sky attempted 27 threes—six more than the Indiana Fever, a team that features very willing 3-point shooters like Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull.
However, the Sky only converted six of their 3-point attempts, shooting only 22.2 percent. Atkins shot it well, making both of her two attempts, and Reese hit one of her two threes. Rebecca Allen, on the other hand, went 1-5 from three, Rachel Banham converted only two of her six attempts, and Kia Nurse missed all six shots she took from behind the arc. Michaela Onyenwere, who emerged as a 3-point threat last season, missed both of her attempts.
If the Sky want to shoot more threes and space the floor around their two bigs, they will need to actually convert threes. They will need to get more out of Nurse, Banham, Allen, and Onyenwere in the future.
Otherwise, the offense might not look much different from last season despite the improved playmaking. During the preseason, Kamilla Cardoso thrived in the two-man game with Courtney Vandersloot. That only works if opposing defenses can’t leave players at the 3-point line and clog the paint, though.
One game is no reason to panic
Despite the Sky’s bad shooting in the season opener, one game is no reason to panic quite yet. The Sky were not on their home floor. Instead, they played in an arena packed to the brim with opposing fans and were very well aware of all the attention the game was getting. That is not an easy situation to be in during the first game of the season.
A calmer atmosphere and some more time on the court together might be all the Sky need to improve their 3-point shooting. It’s still worth keeping an eye on, though. Improved shooting may make the difference between the Sky making the playoffs and missing the postseason for the second consecutive year.