The Sky's disappointing 93-58 loss to the Indiana Fever Saturday has raised a lot of questions: some are about rumored fan conduct, and others are about the Sky's front office and how the team will perform throughout the season.
Angel Reese managed a double-double Saturday with 17 rebounds and 12 points, but she fought a tough battle for most of the night and didn't appear to have a lot of help. The decision to put Reese in a position to handle the ball for much of the game was puzzling, especially when Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins, and even rookie Hailey Van Lith on the team's roster.
Coach Tyler Marsh did little by way of elaborating on that decision, instead focusing on the highly charged exchange between Reese and the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark in the game's third quarter. And though maybe Sky fans are wise to have tempered their expectations for the team this season, some still questioned the decisions being made by the team's front office.
GM Jeff Pagliocca is under the microscope (again)
Jeff Pagliocca was hired as the Sky's GM in 2024, a move that was received positively at the time. He previously spent four seasons with the team assisting with player development and serving as an adviser to the team's coach. Pagliocca also has plenty of experience as an athlete trainer, and is the founder of Evolution Athletics.
But all of that didn't seem to help him against the weight of fan expectations last season, with many predicting he'll be out of a position if the Sky fail to make the playoffs this season. While it's too early to know if that possibility exists, the team's 2024 track record combined with Saturday's game might appear to be enough for a trial by social media.
Online juries aside, as much as some fans might not want to hear it, it's frankly unlikely the Sky would remove their GM without significant errors on his part ahead of 2026 free agency that will be coupled with a new CBA. Doing so would reflect a lot of instability that players might not be comfortable with, especially since the Sky fired Weatherspoon after the 2024 season and traded for Atkins, two decisions he was a major part of.
Pagliocca was also responsible for the decision to draft Reese and teammate Kamilla Cardoso, as well as Van Lith — all decisions fans have been happy about so far. While some of his 2025 offseason decisions might return to haunt him, the way the rest of this season plays out will likely dictate his staying power with the team.