How much more can the Chicago Sky add to their foundation of the future in the 2025 WNBA Draft?
The Sky began its recent rebuild with the selections of center Kamilla Cardoso and forward Angel Reese in the 2024 draft. The two All-Rookie selections are showing signs of stardom in their respective offseason leagues. Reese, who is leading Unrivaled in rebounds per game with 12.3, helped guide the Rose Basketball Club to a playoff appearance with a dominant double-double on Monday. Cardoso's stint in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association has seen her shine as a leader for the Shanghai Swordfish, who recently moved on to the league's quarterfinals with two wins over Fujian.
This year, Chicago will have the opportunity to add size, playmaking and shooting help to pair with their two budding bigs.
The Sky have the 10th, 16th and 22nd picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft. They traded the No. 3 pick, along with a pair of 2027 selections, in exchange for guard Ariel Atkins last month. Adding depth at the point and a player who can prove to be their distributor of the future will be of utmost importance with their No. 10 selection. Chicago will need to round out its roster with a few steals in the second round as it looks to fill out both forward positions.
Should the Sky look out for Sydney Affolter in this year's draft?
Affolter is averaging 8.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season. The Chicago native suited up for Marist High School before joining Iowa's 3-player recruiting class for the 2021-22 season. The 5-foot-11 guard has seen two NCAA tournament finals appearances in her collegiate career, which featured matchups against Reese in 2023 and Cardoso in 2024.
Affolter, now a full-time starter for the Hawkeyes, dropped a season-high 24 points in a February win over Michigan. She is hitting just above 47% of her 3-point shots, which could make her a valuable part of a Sky squad in need of 3-point shooting help. She has only improved her long-range shooting from her freshman season and has an efficient career field goal percentage of 49.4%. Her Iowa teammates highlighted her toughness and competitiveness in a Wednesday tribute video from the Big Ten Network, which could make her a fantastic fit on a Sky squad that has made a commitment to toughness and a competitive spirit in the past.
If Chicago can find its point guard of the future or add depth at the small or power forward in the first two rounds, Affolter can be a solid selection for the Sky if she can work well as a role player at the shooting guard spot. Chicago will enter the 2025 season with a strong amount of depth at the two guard after adding Atkins, Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse in the offseason. The Sky also have Rachel Banham, who proved to be a solid 3-point shooter in her 16 games with Chicago last season. Either way, Chicago will have plenty of options to look out for going into a the 2025 draft, which will feature a variety of talented guards from across the Big Ten and beyond.