No Cap Space WBB Team Previews: Chicago Sky
The Sky drafted their front court of the future in 2024 and now are tasked with building a contender around them. Will a new coach in Tyler Marsh and some new faces put Chicago back in the playoffs?
The Chicago Sky pulled off arguably the best draft of any WNBA franchise in 2024, selecting Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in the first round. While the record didn’t display immediate success, it’s very clear that the ceiling of this team is extremely high with those two in the mix. Reese, for all the arrows she’s taken about her offensive game, established herself as one of the league’s elite rebounders in her first season as a pro. Cardoso flashed her unique mix of size, speed and finesse at multiple points over the course of the season as well.
2024 didn’t end the way Reese, Cardoso or Sky fans wanted it to and General Manager Jeff Pagliocca made a couple of radical moves in response. Chicago fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon and made a move for top Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh. A longtime lieutenant of Becky Hammon, Marsh went to work quickly and brought in an interesting mix of assistants while Pagliocca set out to revamp the roster. Will that all result in a higher floor, higher ceiling Sky team this year? That’s what we’re about to find out soon enough.
2024 Lookback:
13-27 Overall (1-4 Commissioner’s Cup)
Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon fired
Tyler Marsh hired as head coach.
2024 Leaders:
Chennedy Carter: 17.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.1 APG
Marina Mabrey: 14.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.5 APG
Angel Reese: 13.6 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Who Left:
Lindsay Allen (Connecticut Sun via trade)
Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces via sign-and-trade)
Diamond DeShields (Connecticut Sun via free agency)
Maria Conde (Golden State Valkyries via Expansion Draft)
Brianna Turner (Indiana Fever via free agency)
Izzy Harrison (New York Liberty via free agency)
Chennedy Carter (Adelitas de Chihuahua via free agency)
Who’s Back:
Kamill Cardoso
Angel Reese
Rachel Banham
Moriah Jefferson
Michaela Onyenwere
Draft Picks:
Ajsa Sivka (Round 1, Pick 10)
Hailey Van Lith (Round 1, Pick 11)
Maddy Westbeld (Round 2, Pick 16)
Aicha Coulibaly (Round 2, Pick 22)
Who’s New:
Ariel Atkins (Washington Mystics via trade)
Rebecca Allen (Phoenix Mercury via trade)
Courtney Vandersloot (New York Liberty via free agency)
Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks via free agency)
2025 Strengths:
Cardoso and Reese. Full stop.
The twin towers of Chicago are going to be a force in this league and give Tyler Marsh plenty of options in how he wants to utilize them. They can play on the floor together, their minutes can be staggered or they can be mixed and matched at will. I anticipate Reese to make a bit of a jump offensively and I’m especially curious if she has expanded her range outside of the 0-5 feet range during the offseason. If Marsh is able to get consistency out of both sophomore bigs, their starting five might be pretty difficult to stop.
It’s clear that Jeff Pagliocca sought to retool the team in a way that scoring opportunities primarily ran through the frontcourt. Courtney Vandersloot may be on the back end of her career but she’s still an elite passer and floor general. I’d imagine that in this offense she won’t be asked to shoulder a significant scoring role which can free her up to facilitate and be able to give Angel and Kamilla regularly good inbound passes. Too many times last year, the ball got lost on the perimeter and fans from Southside to Wrigleyville could be heard screaming “THROW THE DAMN BALL INSIDE”. I don’t think you’re gonna have that problem this year.
Pagliocca’s decision to trade for Rebecca Allen and Ariel Atkins looks really good now. I’ve always been high on both players, their veteran leadership and their ability to affect the game on both ends. Behind them are some intersting rookies from Ajsa Sivka to Hailey Van Lith so there’s a lot to be excited for in Chicago this year.
2025 Weaknesses:
The big depth behind Cardoso and Reese is a bit suspect which makes me wonder how much Marsh is going to stagger their minutes to make sure one matchup challenge is on the floor at all times. Michaela Onyenwere was a good rotational piece last year but can’t be expected to be a pure post player the way the latter two are. Sivka is interesting as a rookie because she’s 6’4 but has some of that spacing and shooting inherent in a lot of European players. Will she be more of a pure post presence or will she be used in a more versatile way?
Past that, there’s a lot of peripheral players that fit the mold from a size standpoint but the question is who is going to be the person to be able to come off the bench and give you solid post minutes against the higher end benches in the league? I love the idea of Vandersloot passing the torch down to Van Lith as a point guard and HVL’s rookie development is going to be a storyline to watch closely. Beyond that, it’s a lot of new. New coaching staff, a lot of new players and a new set of expectations. Will everyone be able to paddle in the right direction knowing that the future of this team is entrusted to Angel and Kamilla?
2025 Outlook:
The playoffs are an expectation this year for Chicago. I don’t think anyone is expecting the Sky’s centerpiece bigs to turn around and become first team All-WNBA players this year but elements of improvement will likely be demanded by the fanbase. Reese’s touch around the rim, jumpshot and ability to channel that endless energy into consistent performance will be key storylines to watch. Cardoso looked, at times, like she had to get up to speed on pro-level conditioning. But I’d chalk her up-and-down rookie year to an issue of how she was utilized more than an indictment on her ability and talent.
It was clear that both went to the front office and asked for more experience in the locker room and that they wanted a lot of the noise to end. These are two people that are not used to losing, mind you. And sources have indicated to us that there was just an exhaustion about the focus being on everything off the floor. There was no massive blowup or ‘Tenders-N-Bites’ style incident that was the final straw. In truth, it seems, the white noise just got in the way of basketball enough times that change was necessary. Much like the Indiana Fever, the strategy in free agency and in the draft was simple: bring in championship level veterans who understood what a winning culture looks like while adding rookies that are culture fits and will work their way into consistent roster spots. Does it mean that the Sky are all of a sudden contending for a title? Probably not. But I’d be surprised if they weren’t a vastly improved unit, if not in record then in *how* they play, this coming year.
You neglected Elizabeth Williams, who was having career year in 2024 prior to ACL. She looks 100% in preseason games this year, and provides front court depth past the top 2.