Chicago Sky will keep falling until they fix glaring weakness

Phoenix did an excellent job of taking what the Sky defense gave it, which happened to be nearly anything it wanted.

Chicago struggled to close out on Mercury perimeter shooters, allowing several open looks, including the following after guard Satou Sabally passed to forward Alyssa Thomas and quickly got the ball back.

Backup guard Sami Whitcomb hit five threes, with Sky defenders either slow to defend or missing their assignment when defending the nine-year veteran. 

It was another awful defensive performance from Chicago from beyond the arc. Per Her Hoop Stats, the Sky are allowing opponents to shoot a WNBA-worst 39.1 percent from distance this season, with 10.3 makes on 26.3 attempts per game.

Chicago has also been one of the league's worst offensive teams, ranking 12th out of 13 teams in scoring (75.3 points per game) and last in offensive rating.

For a team that's limited offensively, the defensive lapses are impossible to overcome. There are also no quick fixes.

It will have to be the team's primary offseason focus as it builds around young front-court stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. With so many players around the league set to hit free agency this winter, the Sky will have plenty of opportunities to add lockdown perimeter defenders.

But that's a long way from the present. With 29 games to go in the 2025 regular season, the Sky's rough season is only a quarter of the way through.

That could potentially give some players a chance to make positive strides defensively. However, it will probably only make the Sky's biggest problem even more difficult to ignore.