The Chicago Sky suffered a disappointing 93-58 loss to the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis on Saturday. The team appeared to struggle through much of the game, though second-year vet Angel Reese, who was the team's No. 7 overall draft pick in 2024, hit her first double-double of the season with 17 rebounds and 12 points.
A double-double is a strong achievement for any player, especially one who is still so new to the league, but the Sky is going to have to address a serious issue that appeared present throughout yesterday's game if they want Reese to be the player she's capable of: finding and sustaining more support for the 6'3" foward for the duration of an entire game.
The Chicago Sky are in a transition right now
The phrase "transition period" is thrown around so often that it can start to feel like an excuse, but when it comes to the Chicago Sky the team is truly trying to sort out a lot right now. The team brought on a new coach (Tyler Marsh) and made a big trade during free agency that saw the team give up the No. 3 overall draft pick in exchange for league veteran Ariel Atkins.
At the time, the news was met with interest and even excitement from fans, but Atkins barely logged minutes on Saturday and Sonia Citron, who was ultimately drafted by the Mystics as the third spot in April, spent her rookie debut demonstrating she's a legitimate threat to Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga in this year's Rookie of the Year race (she racked up 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 23 minutes to help the Mystics take down the Dream Friday).
A transition period isn't inherently a negative thing; it just means, in frank terms, that a team has a lot to figure out. The Sky didn't have the best 2024 season and expectations are that they will improve (but likely not dominate) this year, so there is room to play around a bit and explore, and hopefully build schemes that support Reese and allow her to play her best basketball.
Unfortunately, what happened on Saturday was not that. Reese was forced to get her offense out of the mud, something that could decrease her efficiency if the trend continues, and too often found herself in the position of having to carry the Sky on her back, something that could end up frustrating fans and sowing discord on the team (and that could even get Reese injured if they aren't carefu