Chicago Sky: The process of finding their identity

After replacing Teresa Weatherspoon over the offseason, first-time head coach Tyler Marsh stepped into a franchise in transition with a vision for this team’s style of play—to play with space and pace.

Hence, the construction of the roster, being vastly different—with the offseason acquisitions of Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse, Rebecca Allen, Hailey Van Lith, and Maddy Westbeld.

Yet, a quarter into the season, the Sky have lacked cohesion and rhythm on offense, along with consistency issues on the defensive end—ranking towards the bottom of key statisticial metrics—12th in offensive rating (97.2), defensive rating (110.3), and points per game (77.9), 8th in field goal percentage (42.3%), 11th in three-point percentage (30.4%), and last in points allowed (88.2) and turnovers per game (17.8), resulting in a lack of offensive production.

However, in recent games, the Sky have shown offensive flashes—shooting the three-ball more efficiently and operating more in fast-break situations and second-chance opportunities. However, the lack of offensive execution and consistency will be an area of development as Marsh will focus on the long-term picture as he builds a culture.

Here’s Tyler Marsh’s outlook on the progress of forming an identity and establishing a culture:

“I think it’s about establishing identity. It’s really all of our first year together, so it’s a clean slate. Establishing a culture, a mindset, and an identity of who we want to be — not just for this year but for the future — that’s how we’ll gauge our growth,” said Marsh.

Unlocking Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso

Through the rough start, the growth of second-year players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso continues to be the most pivotal factor for the Sky’s success moving forward.

Reese is averaging 11.3 points and is currently leading the WNBA in rebounds at 11.9 per game. Despite early-season offensive efficiency woes, the critics have certainly made it known. Over the past several games, in the absence of Vandersloot, the Sky have put more responsibility on Reese.

Playing more point-forward, being utilized more as a facilitator, starting fast breaks and going coast-to-coast, and attacking defenders off the dribble from the perimeter have resulted in her best performances of the season.

Reese’s shooting mechanics and efficiency need improvement, but she is only scratching the surface of what she could be as a player.

There has been an emphasis on involving Cardoso in more offensive action and making sure she is actively engaged. Cardoso is averaging 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds on 56% shooting from the floor.

Already set a new career-high 27 points in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks. At 6’7, Cardoso has the physical tools to be a two-way force.

Manufacturing consistency on a nightly basis, especially from a mental approach, is what coach Tyler Marsh is working on connecting with Cardoso.

Tyler Marsh’s system continues to stress versatility and has pushed Cardoso and Reese to expand their games.

The Sky prioritized adding more floor spacing on the perimeter to allow the second-year frontcourt to showcase more of their game by having more space to operate.

The development of Hailey Van Lith

Courtney Vandersloot’s season-ending injury was devastating—not only mentally and emotionally, but also what she provided for the roster.

Vandersloot’s playmaking, leadership, and veteran presence were meant to provide stability and mentorship for Van Lith and the other young players.

In Vandersloot’s absence, rookie Hailey Van Lith has been thrown into the fire as the Sky’s only valid floor general. Van Lith has shown promise, including scoring a career-high 16 points, in a win over the Connecticut Suns.

Van Lith not only faces a tall task in adjusting to the WNBA’s speed and physicality, but she also faces an increased burden of running the offense.

Here’s what Tyler Marsh had to say about Hailey Van Lith’s development and impact early on in her rookie year:

“I think the biggest thing is that we trust her. We trust her as a staff, her teammates trust her. She provides valuable minutes. She’s been a sponge… when it comes to learning and gaining experience from her teammates and from our staff, and she works extremely hard… which everyone knows is in her DNA”.

The development of Van Lith becomes a bigger priority as the Sky hopes to achieve long-term success.

What’s next for the Chicago Sky?

The Sky faces a grueling and compact schedule over the next few weeks. With Vandersloot out, Cardoso leaving temporary to play for Team Brazil in the AmeriCup, and everyone trying to accumulate themselves in Tyler Marsh’s system—to find their footing, more burden will be placed on Atkins and the frontcourt to right the ship.

Whether the Sky turns their season around will be clear in the next few weeks. These coming weeks will be crucial as we will learn what this team is about—Marsh’s leadership, the growth of the frontcourt, the production of Atkins, and the development of Van Lith are essential to how competitive this team will be.