What was immediately apparent is that not only is the personnel new, but the team has also experienced a change in energy, approach, values, and presentation.

Weatherspoon was joined on the podium by co-owner and operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson as well as star player Kahleah Copper.

Speaking to change, being different, and standing out, was this presentation from the franchise — with three African American women in positions of power, deciding just where and how fast their desires and aspirations are heading.

“2023 was a consequential year for the Sky, and a nod to our future potential,” co-Rawlinson said.

There was plenty that occurred last season, from injury adversity to a midseason coaching change that ultimately enabled the opportunity for these changes to occur.

A feeling of gray and uneasiness regarding the future and direction of the franchise received clarity two months ago when Copper elected to sign a multi-year extension instead of opting for free agency this offseason.

That has now been coupled by principal owner Michael Alter identifying Weatherspoon as the perfect person to guide the franchise.

Weatherspoon comes in with a bevy of experience at multiple levels of basketball, not just as a player, but also as a coach in multiple roles.

In part of her opening statement, she mentioned, “ When God solidifies, and glorifies your position, and your destination, no one can take this away from you. It’s yours.”

Plenty was already known about Weatherspoon’s leadership and valuing of faith, but if there was ever a tone to be set in an initial conversation and availability, this was it.

She then included part of her closing statement, “They don’t call me Spoon for nothing. I’m coming here to stir things up.”

This was said with a sternness and directness that communicated this was not a performative statement, but rather a mission statement of sorts.

She then mentioned, “We are geared up to do the right thing. We want to be different, so we gotta do different, and we gotta look different.”

“We will take over this town. You can mark it.”

Kahleah Copper is a big part of the Chicago Sky’s future plans

Weatherspoon made sure to mention that she plans on Copper being a big part of that plan.

Weatherspoon emphasized “paying it forward” and bestowing all the knowledge and experiences she’s compiled upon Copper.

“It’s my duty to pour into her, and to pour into every player that’s a part of this organization,” Weatherspoon said.

The depths of gratitude, candidness, and straight-shooting confidence she displayed were immediately infectious, and more than well-received.

There is a bar of leadership, accountability, and being an example of the behaviors she desires to see, that she showed, that left an impression that suggests the franchise is in great hands, and the direction is trending to the top — on the floor and off it.

In my opportunities to speak with Coach, she spoke very assuringly, leaving nothing to external driving forces or doubt.

It will be intriguing to see who she decides to fill the roles of assistants on her brain trust, especially seeing the level of basketball connections she has under her belt as a Hall of Famer.

An affirming answer to this question gave great insight into her perspective on the pieces she is sure to be coaching as the roster stands, while indirectly communicating that any pieces that do come in via free agency, will also be on the same page and bought in as well.

It was very telling to see Weatherspoon correct, then inform me of just what their approach will be in regards to competing with the teams that represented in the WNBA Finals for 2023.

The emphasis on establishing an identity early, and doing things their way, on their terms, has a lingering energy that suggests all will be onboard and in alignment with her core principles, giving the team an entire new flavor and feel.

The Sky are on track to build even more upon the successes previously enjoyed, and in a whole new way.

Watch the latest CHGO Sky Podcast!

Let’s zoom in on some of what’s caught my eye over the last few weeks.

Dana Evans Drives

The Sky have a dynamic compilation of guards in their main rotation.

Kahleah Copper, Courtney Williams, and Marina Mabrey all bring a unique approach and skillset to the fold — a level of variance that consistently compromises defenses when they find their flow in unison offensively.

Of late, the trio of guards (and the Sky) have hit those offensive highs, resulting in their best stretch of play all season.

In the mix with this group, and a piece that is unique but meshes well with each of the others, is Dana Evans.

Evans’ ability to blow past her match-up at any given moment, is not unlike Kahleah Copper, while still being solely her own.

She has the first step of a track sprinter coming out of the blocks at the sound of the gun, only hers is on the hardwood and comes often with a live dribble.

Her evolution in processing angles and blending change of pace, as well as direction, into an ever-present dynamic of compromise for a defense at the point of initiation, has oftentimes positively changed the flow of a game.

Evans is a dynamic space-seeking missile, well-equipped to execute in multiple ways, via the ever-present advantage of her drives — which she’s weaponized and optimized even more post-All-Star Break.

When I asked about the evolution in approach to her drives, she provided very insightful answers.

“I think it’s all just coming together, “ said Evans.

“I think now I’m more reading the defense. I’m taking my time, I’m more patient, I’m reading that second line of defense, and if they step up in help, I’m making that kick pass. And if they don’t, I have a layup. But it just comes with me being aggressive. I think me being aggressive and getting to the basket just opens up everything.”

Her consistent rim pressure and relentless attacking nature bring yet another dynamic that – not unlike a Marina Mabrey-initiated pick-and-roll or Courtney Williams outer-third pick-and-roll – gets two to the ball or collapses multiple defenders.

I wrote at length earlier in the season about her impacts on the offense. Principal among those are her drives.

They’re one of the four best advantages the Sky can create offensively in the half-court, but the beauty of them is there never *has* to be another player included, or a pass involved to help set the advantage. Dana can allow for the flow of their very good spacing early and in the middle of sets and actions to occupy defenders as well as manipulate space, ultimately creating driving lanes that enable her access to a paint touch.

She’s been a (no pun intended) driving force post-All-Star, and her efficiency and effectiveness in her role as a playmaking scorer help to maintain lineup and process balance the way her dynamics complement the off-ball abilities of their primary scorers.

Kahleah Copper’s Scoring Growths

The space that Kahleah Copper is operating in as a scorer in 2023 is special. What is obvious is that this still isn’t her peak.

Through eight games post-All-Star, Copper is averaging 24.4 PPG on 49.6/44.2/90.2 shooting. Her frequency of shots at the rim has slightly risen, with 5.5 attempts in that area. She’s getting to the free throw line 6.4 times per game in this window, up from the 3.3 trips she averaged before the break.

She’s also knocking down 44.2% of her 5.4 attempts from deep, which is up from the 41.9% she averaged on 3.9 attempts priorly.

Even more, it’s been her general demeanor and disposition on the offensive end that sticks out.

She’s more confident, yes. But she’s also — in a deadly fashion — more decisive and her feel for the game is at its highest level (and could continue to evolve).

Perfectly blending her sustained three-level scoring and feel operating in the half-court, Copper has become seemingly scheme-proof in multiple contexts.

Let’s look here first.

As the Wings respace, Kah attacks the late clock switch. Her movement patterns (change of pace then a hands-up dribble) enable her access to the paint. 

Then, a very impressive finish with one of the league’s best shot blockers. Audacious.

Here, look at her pace changes again. Good feel on display, in addition to the movement patterns to evade the initial defender.

She gets the over and rejects, reads drop, then gets to the mid-range pull-up.

Next, we see her fly into a second-side hand-off.

Ogunbowale tries to duck under and meet her at an angle on the other side, but Copper steals it with a pullback for another mid-range pull-up.

Lastly, the Sky get into ‘Stack’ and go with Spain pick-and-roll.

Copper paces herself into the advantage as Sabally trails, forcing McCowan to step up in her drop. That puts Ogunbowale in a position of rim protection, to no avail.

She’s averaging 1.07 points per jump shot in the half-court, which is excellent (per Synergy). That excellent rank trickles into her catch-and-shoots, where she’s at 1.31 per shot.

Her steadying and stabilizing impact in scoring efficiently is further solidifying her as a bonafide star, but also a winning player who can be the focal point of a playoff-bound squad.

Half-Court Offense

Before the All-Star Break, the most points the Sky had scored in regulation in the half-court was 75 points (vs Dallas 5.28 and vs Los Angeles 6.30).

Since then, they’ve reached 76, 82, 84, and 90.

They’re now at 72.6 points per game in the half-court.

On a full-season scale, that mark would place them with the second-best half-court offense in the W, above the Liberty (72.1) and below the Aces (74.0).

Even with two low-point totals mixed in the post-All-Star, their mark still remains elite.

Their pick-and-roll play continues to pop, with its multiple tandems and versatile variations to manipulate space and match-ups.

The Sky are also second-best in the league at scoring off the catch, at 1.13 points per possession and shot.

Their 21.3 points per game from this scenario are third-best in the W, with a league-leading field goal percentage of 39%, and 40.3% from three-point range.

Finding ways to play off tags and closeouts, and getting the defense rotating in a multitude of ways throughout their offensive process, will need to continue to click.

At the crux of it all, however, is ball security. Chicago giving themselves as many possessions to optimize their process and blending of dynamics takes precedence, as getting shots on goal often enables them to keep their defense set.

They’re fifth-best in turnovers post-All-Star Break with 13.1 per game — a sustainable success point.

Honorable Mention

Zone defense was something the Sky used ultra-infrequently before the break, totaling just two possessions prior.

They’ve now used it on 62 possessions, and not just to steal possessions, but to dictate.

They’ve had some hiccups with rotations and closing off the middle at times (as well as rebounding), but it’s a solid counter to have at your base — one that’ll surely improve as they amass more reps.

This is a transition from being a team that played an all-inclusive brand of ball movement, cutting, and screening that often resembled actions, cutting automatics, and a team synergy similar to that of the San Antonio Spurs — the golden standard for ball movement and team play in the western hemisphere.

The evolution in tactical philosophy has had its hiccups in addition to having many new pieces in the mix, however, as chemistry plus role definition have settled in — as well as a stint of solid health, mostly — we’ve seen the Sky identify which method they can most often (and most consistently) dictate with.

They lead the W in pick-and-roll possessions including passes (796), percent of teams possessions with a pick-and-roll (37.2%), field goals made out of this action (265), two-point field goals made (199), and field goals attempted (637).

The Sky are also second in points out of this scenario (685), third in three-point field goals made (66), fourth in scoring percent (39.6%) and two-point field goal percentage (45.6%), as well as fifth in points per possession (0.86) and effective field goal percentage (46.8%).

On a per-game basis, they are second in points, 0.1 behind the vaunted Las Vegas Aces pick-and-roll play, with 28.5 per.

The Sky have multiple initiators of this action, primarily Courtney Williams (0.90 PPP) and Marina Mabrey (0.94) who are both in the high volume category, placing top-12 in pick-and-roll possessions including passes (272 and 198 respectively), as well as having top-7 aforementioned PPP marks.

Let’s examine the core three pieces that make this process of pick-and-roll (or multiple pick-and-roll) work so extensively.

Courtney Williams

Also known as the “Mistress of the Mid-Range,” Williams brings a dynamic of elite passing and playmaking flair out of this context.

She then, also, blends in being a *very* crafty ball handler — able to create space and get off pull-ups that double in making her tough to cover scheme-wise, and tactically.

Drop coverage concedes her to attacking the opposing big, enabling her direct access to the elbows — where she’s as good as it gets — but where depending on the depth of their drop, she can also be crafty in engaging them, to ultimately flick a pocket pass or shovel it over to the roller.

She’s adept at either getting off it quick or stringing extra attention out, to ultimately stretch their rotations and manipulate the space behind it for her teammates in the advantage.

Williams is also solid at attacking switches when that style of scheme is deployed.

Then, when a defense begins to give her too much of an automatic to anticipate, she’ll play at the mesh point of switches, then counter with a re-screen reject that is often ultra-crafty and enables her access into minimum dribble pull-ups — automatics for her.

Further displaying her general feel and craftiness, while playing chess with defenders and their scheme — all in real-time.

She scored a season-best 14 points via the pick-and-roll in Sunday’s win vs Phoenix. When she’s blending her ever-present table setting with her scoring — while also keeping her turnovers down (11%, 6th most secure with it for players > 200 reps), she helps the Sky lead the dance in dictating pace, action, and where shots see coming from in their multiple pick-and-roll system.

Marina Mabrey

Mabrey is an elite shooter who is capable of both knocking down shots as well as creating space on her own, off the dribble.

She’s presently sixth in the W (out of 16) in three-point shooting percentage on the season, for players attempting at least five per game.

In alignment with the Sky being pick-and-roll heavy, 31.2% of her usage comes from this context, as the handler. That percentage ranks 75th percentile and comes in at 19th in the league.

Zoom in even more for her, and account for the dynamic she dictates with — her shooting ability — looking specifically at when teams commit two to her (more often than not), and you’ll see she’s flourished.

Her PPP mark of 1.04 ranks 88th percentile, which is excellent.

She forces activity at the level of a screen, which forces the remaining three defenders to cover in space.

Often getting off it quick with a spray pass, she understands the walking advantage she has, as well as how urgent teams typically are to get the ball out of her hands in this scenario — and is enabling teammates the opportunity to convert with a scrambling defense.

Her ability to pass out of this context is an underrated entity of her general dynamic and impact.

Oh yeah, she can also score fairly well here too.

Her PPP of 0.76 ranks 52nd percentile when charting her scoring out of this context (no passing), which is good.

Mabrey’s turnover percentage of 18.6 when the defense commits multiple bodies to her, 7th most secure among the 14 players with 100+ reps in this scenario.

Whereas, when she’s operating as a scorer in the same context (excluding passes), her turnover percentage resides at 19.3%, the third worst among players who’ve run as much pick-and-roll as she has.

So long as she is decisive with her processing as well, she is one of the most consistent and efficient advantages for the Sky — without a screen but especially and even more so with it.

Elizabeth Williams Screening

The other integral piece in the Sky pick-and-roll is Elizabeth Williams.

Williams is a unique talent that combines a vastly underrated ability in screening IQ (angles, when to hold the screen or release into a roll, short-roll, re-screen), hands in catching passes — in traffic typically, even more — without bobbling, then feel to pass off the roll/short-roll finish.

Her screening angles create an advantage for players to get either downhill or to attack the defender at the level of the screen, while her hold/slip/roll/re-screen recognition enables pace in the context.

In all of the same clips with Courtney and Marina above, notice the attention to detail plus the activity at which Williams executes.

She has more possessions compiled (73) where she’s operated as the roller than any player in the WNBA this season, and that comes with a heavy responsibility of understanding both the flow of the game, opposing coverages, as well as the dynamics the handler brings to the plot.

Because she’s so good with it, she often enables herself an advantage on the roll to play with the ball in her hands.

Sometimes it’s the short roll, sometimes it’s a deep roll, but she operates as integral of a piece as any in this system — though her operating goes much more unheralded.

As the Sky trek forward down the homestretch, using their efficiency and effectiveness scoring out of the pick-and-roll as a barometer for their level of play.

The schedule that they have remaining will present a diverse compilation of challenges, but the multiplayer method in which they should be able to dictate against them all resides between the tandems mentioned above.

Copper — presently averaging 18.7 PPG this season, a career-best in points — is on a torrid scoring pace through the last three games, stemming from her third All-Star selection (and third consecutive selection) averaging 27.7 PPG.

It was fun to hear her mention closeouts being more favorable to her as well, as I spoke on them myself earlier that day, and how they had become advantageous to her as it enabled her more effective read and react play, off the catch.

We saw a little bit of everything regarding her multifaceted scoring dynamic on Tuesday against Las Vegas, where she established yet another career-high in scoring, with 37 points.

Let’s dive into the film and zoom in on what is now making Kahleah Copper one of the most well-rounded scorers in the W.

We should start with the splash in sustained successes she’s seen from deep.

Evolution of how she’s guarded, via 3-point growth

Look no further than one of the offensive contexts where she’s the most explosive and unguardable players in transition.

The fact that Copper is now the level of threat on and off the ball in transition that garners instant attention also helps the Sky.

Here, as almost always, she gets out ahead of the ball before anyone else on offense, then immediately fills the corner.

An excellent advance pass from Mabrey (to create pace and allow Copper to attack in the advantage that is a transition possession, when the defense is most compromised), enables Copper opportunity early in the offense.

Notice the closeout she gets here from Chelsea Gray, stopping short in an err on the side of protecting the basket manner, against the threat of Copper’s first step with no help behind her.

That threat enables her enough space to line up the laces, get her feet set, then knock down a catch and shoot three, in transition.

In that specific context this season, she’s scoring 57.1% of the time, with an impressive 1.64 PPS (points per shot) mark. Zoom in even more specifically to shot types, and she’s at 58.3% from deep — speaking to how well-rounded of a weapon she is.

Here, she receives some off-screen action via a wide pin-down.

She processes the initial under, as the Aces tip their hand, letting it be known they’re looking to flatten her attacks out and keep her on the perimeter by going under the screen + switching.

Wilson is a beat behind schedule, and Copper is — in a new context — more comfortable pulling up from deep off the dribble this season.

That gets her into a comfortable space as she controls the pace, and dictates with a shot she desires to take, depositing three more.

Here is a great example of why she continues to put herself in successful positions. As Williams and Williams work the flat drag angle screen and roll in the empty corner (an action location they should’ve gone to more in this game) notice the extra attention it garners, attracting Alysha Clark on the tag, as Wilson and Plum negotiate the late-switch.

Notice Copper though, spaced above the break, top-side.

As Clark leaves to aid the pick-and-roll defensively, Copper — who’s never idle for more than 2 seconds off-ball — is able to re-space behind the action to stretch the rotation for Clark back out to her, while also simultaneously shortening the pass distance for Williams.

She increases the quality of her shot + reduces the impact of the closeout from Clark with slight movement into the shot, and it is bottoms up.

Sidenote: she’s shooting the above the break three at her highest rate in four seasons (19.4%), is on pace to shatter her previous career-high in attempts of 68, and is knocking down said attempts at by far a career-best efficiency relative to volume, at 39.4%.

She already has her career-best mark in hits from there, with 26.

This rep was a lot of fun. I’ve noted how effective Mabrey and Copper screening for each other is and can be for the Sky’s offensive process — as well as how effective it can be for both individually as scorers.

We see them get into that action here. However, Copper elects to slip out of the action quickly, in a ghost screen-adjacent fashion, then flows into the flare (top-side again) for a straight-on look as her match-up is left in the dust.

The emergence of *this* volume, and on *these* efficiencies in a sustained fashion has Copper genuinely operating as a three-level scorer, with the confidence and prowess to do damage on versatility in her usage.

Specifically from range, sheet now enabled to stretch the defense and force a different type of urgency behind the closeouts she’s receiving, enabling her to further dictate reactions from the defense.

Her jab step off the catch has grown more prolific because of the threat of her first step, but the defense is now constantly in a catch-22 because she can play read and react while compromising them with her shot or the lightning-quick first step for dynamic and acrobatic forays to the basket.

However she wants it, she has the means to get it done, and Copper at the helm and in a position of consistently dictating with the ball in her hands is a daunting proposition for a defense.

There’s essentially no win here for the opposition.

If she starts drawing more long, urgent closeouts like this:

Watch out.

Pick-and-Roll Play

She’s on pace to run as many, if not more, pick-and-roll as she has at any point in her career. 

She mentioned to me earlier in the season that a point of emphasis for her this season was playmaking off the extra attention she knows she garners, processing where it’s coming from, and delivering timely passes with accuracy.

She’s processing that dynamic of her gravity better in this season (on a higher usage and demand, she’s at 92 points created via her assists), but what’s already elite for her is her scoring in the pick-and-roll context.

Her PPP (points per possession) mark in this context is 0.90, which is very good — ranking 72nd percentile.

Specifically for her, points are coming out of scenarios where she’s initiating pick-and-roll 43.8% of the time.

She excels with side pick-and-rolls, scoring 48.6% of the time from the left (1.00 PPP) and 50% of the time from the right (1.09 PPP). Sidenote: from the right side, she also draws a shooting foul 18.2% of the time

Her evolving ability to control the pace in these actions with defensive rhythm-breaking jabs and live dribble hops (which double to getting her feet established in the most explosive position for a drive) is a ton of fun to watch her setup.

One trick of the trade she has under her belt is the rejecting of a screen (going the opposite direction of the screener).

Oftentimes, there is plenty of space for her to operate on the opposite side, especially when they run their empty corner pick-and-roll actions.

It enables Copper mostly undeterred real estate to eat, as well as tug at the help responsibility of low defenders, enabling her opportunity to showcase her dexterity, creativity, and abilities to finish through contact on deep drives.

She’s well known as the best baseline driver in the W, and ejecting screens in emptied corners enables her opportunity in those contexts, plenty.

This first rep we see her with a great setup into the reject.

Stokes (defending Williams, the screener) is up to touch on the other side of the screen, making for one of the most optimal times to reject the screen as the opposing center — usually their best rim protector — is off the porch and away from the cup.

What’s unique about the Aces, though, is their best rim protector is the reigning defensive, A’ja Wilson, who’s strategically spaced in the paint in anticipation of a drive, with Stokes in an aforementioned location away from the basket.

This makes the drive and setup from Copper *that* much more ambitious.

Notice how she processes the threats of help, misleads Gray initially with the first hop, then Wilson with the hop into the crossover.

She gets Wilson to ever so slightly shift her weight on her front foot, away from the basket, then is ultimately able to beat both Young and Wilson to the block before this incredible inside hand finish, through contact, on the reject, for an and one.

Again, all processed within a matter of seconds, she’s able to mislead the defense before beating them to a position of scoring.

It’s the ability to finish with flair and athleticism like this that makes her the best driver in the W.

Next, we see more of the same, with a few more unique instances involved.

The small ball lineup from the Sky here has Wilson now above the free throw line, rather than in the paint as she was on the rep prior.

This, in addition to Copper the Sky cleverly spacing Mabrey opposite of her (speaking to the ways the Sky can weaponize their synergy and court balance in the half-court) puts Chelsea Gray in a compromising situation.

Damned if she does help, damned if she doesn’t.

Copper processes that Gray (the lowman) is hugged up on Mabrey as she gets into her patented and aforementioned skip (playing off the hop), then doesn’t just straight line drive — as Gray does a great job getting into position for the charge — but dynamically veers to the left slightly, and is ultimately rewarded with a free throw after yet another impressive display of touch through contact at the basket.

Her aforementioned 10-for-15 efficiency at the rim is on par in a small sample with the successes she saw on a season-long basis last season.

She’s up to and one’s this season, just five more conversions from tying her career-best mark of 16 last season.

Copper’s also drawn 45 shooting fouls this season, with a solid chunk coming in this three-game sample post-All-Star.

The whistle she’s receiving now, which feels beyond appropriate finally, will help her to dictate, but will also double in helping the Sky keep their defense set as well.

Pull up two’s

She’s been very good in the mid-range for some time now, and having an in-between game to counter with when teams load up on the helpline, knowing you can get past your initial defender at will, is almost like a cheat code.

It’s also a more than viable shot that she gets into in transition.

Notice again the patented hop, enabling her neutrality to still drive, while also allowing her to square her shoulders to the cup.

This is a shot she’s knocking down at a 55% clip in transition.

Then, in the half-court, notice how she’s able to get to her spots and elevate with confidence.

All of these dynamics of hers meshing into one all-encompassing weapon is a large part of what makes her unique as a scorer.

As she continues to put her foot on the gas in the second half of the season, watch for the trip to the free throw line frequency, as well as her efficiencies at the rim and from range to sustain.

Should they continue to blend into her offensive process the way they have in these first three games post-All-Star, she could very well finish this season north of 20 PPG as a scorer — but this is also what the Sky will need from her to win and in optimizing the potential in this new rendition.

Amidst each of these entities of their general process, plus the stamping of Vatansevers touch on the offense, has been Williams offensive usage and the volume of manners in which she’s functioning.

Her usage percentage is up 2.8%, at 17.9% — which, if sustained, would be a career-high in these initial three games.

Additionally, and generally, she’s averaging 13.7 points per game, on 53.3% from the field, with 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

She’s up to 10 points (up from 7.5 in 16 games prior) in the paint, in her increased minutes total of 33.6 per (5.6 more minutes) as well.

Zooming in specifically on her playmaking, she’s amassed two of her three best marks of the season in assist points created.

She had 15 against Indiana (on July 2) and 14 most recently. Add the seven from the first game of last weekend’s slate against the Dream, and you begin to see her playmaking becoming a steady hand in their general playmaking process.

To be transparent, I have to note she’s run up a few assists due to the Sky’s usage of more “get” or “handback” or “chase” action, where a player will pass to Williams, then follow their pass into a handoff by her — which has been effective in keeping their flow, generating pace after an action breaks down, and generating advantages.

Williams has also handled slightly more in the Sky’s secondary break scenarios as a handoff hub in their “Delay” action — where she’ll have the ball at the dome, sometimes a live dribble, connecting to the second side and flowing into actions.

However, independent of those scenarios, she’s also been very good on the short roll.

Her short-roll decision making is being optimized by the aforementioned (much) better spacing, and their pick-and-roll play being much better.

The Sky are more opportunistically occupying the corners with shooters — making a season best of nine through three games — and are getting attempts up from there, on 4.7 per.

Generally, they’re also getting up more attempts (+4.5) from deep.

Williams’ function in both her gravity as a roller, and playmaking prowess when serving as a vacuum for her team, to then spray from the paint to the perimeter with passes — has been a fun and effective evolution in their process.

Let’s dive into the film to paint the picture further here.

I’ll preface with this first play, that these are all coming while dictating in pick-and-roll, with Courtney Williams.

She’s been *so* good this season in playmaking, especially out of the pick-and-roll (as mentioned last week), that opponents are now sending two to her, enabling her to serve as an advantage setter.

She gets “hockey assists” here and below, due to her ability to attract multiple players, which ultimately gets the defensive dominos falling, leading to the advantage.

Here, after a great re-screen angle from Elizabeth, Courtney attracts the attention of two.

Elizabeth is then hit with a perfectly timed pocket pass. As she gets it on the short-roll, both low defenders condense the floor in converging on her — which, by virtue of her paint touch on the roll and the attention conceded at the point of the screen, enables Elizabeth to spray from the roll, out to an unoccupied Copper, for 3.

Notice the pace at which the read and react from the Williams’ connects within the advantage.

Next, we’ll see more of the same.

First, they manipulate the space beautifully here on a secondary break, off the drag screen.

They’re able to align it to where there’s an isolated tag off their best shooter, in Mabrey, and, odd the drag from the slot, Parker shoots up from a short drop, to a hedge.

A quick reverse pivot into the slipping of Atlanta’s two to the ball see’s Elizabeth free in the channel, triggering the single-side tagger and Mabrey’s match-up, Robinson, to step over in rotation.

As that domino falls, it renders Mabrey *wide* open, and Elizabeth with another opportunity to connect from the short-roll, for three more.

Robinson is compromised and put in a very tough decision-making scenario, as there’s consequences to pay either way.

Next rep will look similar, just structured differently.

Notice here, Mabrey is again stashed one pass away, and how Gray isn’t enticed to even jab at the roller, yet alone tag.

Additionally, with Smith in the corner, Coffey is reluctant to do so for similar reasons.

The hesitancy and reluctance in rotating off the Sky’s shooters displays exactly how effectively Vatsnsever is weaponizing and optimizing his team’s spacing, as well as Courtney drawing two to the ball at the point.

That space enables Elizabeth the opportunity to catch and make a decision.

Coffey doesn’t commit to Williams’ roll until she puts the ball on the deck, and Williams astutely doesn’t commit to the pass until someone deters her from the basket.

Elizabeth with yet another prompt decision made, in the advantage.

We see more of the same in this final instance.

Different personnel gets a different reaction out of the defense, but Willams is composed and decisive.

Jones (guarding Evans, at the nail) is comfortable jabbing at the roll to stagnate flow. It keeps Elizabeth from directly engaging the lowman, again it’s Coffey, nonetheless, the pace on the pass from Williams plus the accuracy, enables Bertsch to knock down a look from deep.

Elizabeth continues to evolve both in her tandem play with Courtney, as well as in the Skys offensive process — as a connector, secondary playmaker, and vacuum with her roll gravity — all serve as entities that can continue to optimize the Sky, and could help to raise their floor in springboarding them to a better level of play, offensively.

Film Session

The team has seen its fair share of injuries, dating even back to preseason when it learned that one of their prized free agent signings — Isabelle Harrison — would be out indefinitely due to a torn left meniscus.

That would then be exacerbated by an ankle sprain that kept Morgan Bertsch sidelined for three weeks, and also Rebekah Gardner — in the same game on May 26 vs Washington — would sustain a left foot injury that required surgery and hasn’t returned to activity since.

Whew.

That’s a heavy toll to work through, all in the first third of a season where you’re trying to mesh new pieces together and establish roles + chemistry. 

At the same time, enduring said injury adversities so early allows for the team not to have the pressures that a second half of the season typically shows.

Injuries are part of the regular season marathon, and also present opportunities for others to showcase what they are capable of and carve out their own role.

Alanna Smith has been a key piece to all things the Sky have established and will continue to be as they incrementally grow back whole.

Former Coach James Wade had just spoken on how good and integral of a piece she is to this team, the day before the news of his transition took place. 

“She’s been good. This is what we saw in Poland. This is what I saw at Stanford. Alanna just needs people to have her back, know that they believe in her, and give her direction,” said Wade.

“She’s really intelligent, and sometimes I just want her to trust her feel, and kind of not overthink when she misses a couple and now she doesn’t look at the rim.”

Alanna Smith has been used in a multitude of ways this season.

Offensively, she’s spent time often operating as a connector — executing as a hand-off hub and handling their ‘Delay’ actions, screening on and off-ball, rolling, popping, spacing (and abilities to drive off of stretching closeouts), and cutting. 

Generally, using her IQ and versatility as a weapon, while also helping to set, maintain, and/or execute within advantages.

Defensively is where she’s really earned her staying power and been most effective.

Customary to the Sky’s defensive identity, she immediately fits the mold as a fleet-footed frontcourt piece that can guard her yard against all offensive archetypes, from the post, to the perimeter, and everywhere in between.

She’s capable of staying in front of the ball on switches and late switches — often flattening out drives with a good understanding of angles and body positioning, is plenty capable as a hedging piece, and can hold her own in a drop — all done with a disruptive and frenetic level of activity/physicality, to the legal limit.

She’s averaging 1.3 blocks per game, and 1.5 blocks per game this season —- both career-highs.

On a broader scope, she’s one of just nine players averaging north of one block and steal per game.

Zoom in, and you’ll see that she’s one of just three players presently at her mark (or better) in “stocks” per game or better, in the company of former teammates, Breanna Stewart (1.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG), and Ezi Magbegor (1.9 BPG, 1.3 SPG).

(Sidenote: she’s doing it on the second to last minutes per game mark, at 27.7 per game.)

This is some *elite* company she’s in, on impact, while on a volume lesser than the aforementioned two.

“She’s got some game man. When she’s locked in, she’s a good defensive player. She’s a good WNBA player, and I think it’s being noticed now and I’m just glad because she’s an even better player than she is a person,” said James Wade.

Past the on-court moments that are represented in box scores, her processing enables her to be a “switch anchor,” putting out fires that come in the Sky’s often aggressive defensive scheme, on the perimeter.

She’s often positioned behind Elizabeth Williams — who’s typically hedging out — on the backline, kicking teammates out of post mismatches to neutralize an advantage created by rollers and directing traffic in that controlled chaos, flattening out an attack by jamming rolls, or even scram switching teammates out on the flight of the pass, in some scenarios.

Smith can also often be seen executing timely “peel switches,” off of post players, to thwart opposing drives from out on the perimeter, as they near the restricted area.

“I’m just that type of player that just wants to do everything for the team. I want to play defense, I want to rebound, and I want to score. I also think that I’m versatile enough to do it in different ways. So I really attribute my success to the confidence my team and my teammates have in me.”

The abundance in depths of her versatility has helped her to not just stay afloat, but truly seize the opportunity presented to her both with the Sky and amidst the injuries that’ve enabled her extended burn and opportunity.

She’s multi-faceted, communicative, and disciplined.

Her skill and abilities unlock a ton of their lineups, as well as actions because of how teams choose to defend her.

To appreciate her, is to pronounce her name correctly.

The phonetic pronunciation of her first name is: uh-LAN-uh, and she’s said to say it like Atlanta, in hopes that it’s better pronounced moving forward.

Let’s zoom in on a handful of plays where her acumen and feel for the game have jumped off the screen.

Her general drives have been extremely good for the Sky. They often come via her teammates setting the table and creating opportunities for her to attack a closeout, and she is adept at doing so whenever she is momentarily left unattended.

Notice here how her ability to space as the four, in a more than viable manner, truly stretches the rotation of Stewart as she peels in to condense the space on the Copper-Williams pick-and-roll.

Subsequently, Stewart is then put in a closeout situation, an advantage, and she exacerbates it by using her prowess as a spacer (notice the urgency on the closeout from Stewart, still with 18 seconds on the shot clock) to drive the closeout, which holds the defensive rotations under the basket, and sets up Copper for a catch-and-shoot mid-range attempt.

Next, we’ll see more of her drives having a positive impact on the offense, as they help to connect both for herself and to others in a manner that serves as a great counter to the spacing she provides, and the type of closeouts she generates – where a defender will have a level of urgency when she is the player receiving the ball.

Notice on these, how adept and comfortable she is with her left hand on these drives, the comfort and feel in playing off the pop, and playing off the bounce.

Her left-hand drives are good for 1.059 points per possession, and she combines that effectiveness with a 71.7 percent efficiency at the rim, on a career-high in volume of attempts from there (accountable for 39.6% of her attempts).

She is really good at maintaining, and executing within advantages, while also creating for others as well.

Her versatility in popping and spacing enables her skills to all mesh together, in addition to what was shown above, all combining to help her unlock a ton of dynamics and lineups for the Sky.

Notice the pace and timing at which she slips and ghosts out of these plays. Some, she counters defensive automatics, others it’s just off feel.

I spoke with her last month and gained insight as to her thought process in discerning when to roll and when to pop in these scenarios:

She truly processes the game well.

Speaking of that, where her feel and IQ truly shine come on the defensive end, starting with her hands in accuracy and anticipatory skill.

She is a catch-contest savant, as she does great with never making a catch comfortable, manipulating a pass to be where she wants it to be, then poking it free.

This can also be seen on a handful of her rangy blocks compiled this season.

Notice the rotation made here, as the low man on Mitchell’s re-screen reject. Alanna anticipates well, chooses a great angle en route, and gets to the release.

Additionally, she’s able to finish the sequence with a trail three, further showcasing just how dynamic of a weapon she is. (She’s compiled a ton of defense-to-offense sequences similar to this one).

Here, she displays her athleticism. Tags the roller well, runs Hamby off the three-point line with an appropriate closeout (with a hand up as well), recovers with contact to steer the drive, then blocks it to also regain possession.

She’s also great defending in rotation, and off-script.

In theory, a defensive possession is rarely won by one player… but if ever there were one, this is in alignment there.

The flat show and recover, plus two switches that also flatten out the Fever defense, finishing with a block to stamp the stop. Great display of versatility and being a connector on defense, keeping the shell intact and finishing the play.

Here she is on another switch early in the possession, then toggling to being a smart help defender as the lowman. Peeling in early to take away the pocket pass on Boston’s roll, sending the Fever offense off-script, and finishing with a board.

Here’s an example of her being a switch anchor, keeping match-ups appropriate and communicating from the back line.

This was a great “kick-out” switch she communicated, with Copper, as the Copper-Kone switch created a mismatch, and Smith quickly erased the advantage Indiana attempted to create.

Lastly, how many players (especially frontcourt pieces) will press up on Stewart for 90 feet? Also, how many can do so successfully? She duped Stewart here by enticing her to drive, going completely off-script of their offense, and trusted her help from the backline to assist, which was followed by two (!) Sky defenders in position to take a charge.

“Underrated basketball IQ, said Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Courtney Williams.

“She *sees* the game. I think that it’s overlooked because she does all the dirty stuff, but — I see you big dawg.”

Her IQ is certainly underrated and is a huge reason why, especially from her position, she is such an integral piece to this Sky team.

She’s carved out a great role with this team, benefitted by the extended opportunity to do so amidst injuries, and will surely be a driving force behind where this team ultimately can finish the season.

Opportunity plus her growth as a player have her primed as a viable candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

It’s clear on paper they have a plethora of dynamics, skillsets, and IQs, which suggests they should be able to dictate with a handful of actions offensively.

Among those entities is the pick-and-roll.

Early on, it was clear the pre-existing relationship between the Williams tandem — stemming from their two seasons spent in Atlanta — would be a long-term weapon, but would also need no ramp-up given their familiarity with each other.

On Sunday, I was able to speak to both about what makes their pick-and-roll play so effective:

The insightful assessment from these two certainly makes sense when watching the two execute in real time.

Through the lens of their tandem play against the Fever from Sunday, let’s zoom in on how their dynamics mesh together — creating perfect basketball harmony while consistently compromising defenses.

First one here will start with Williams off the ball — where she’s been very effective this season — then working into pick-and-roll.

Notice the off-script nature of this rep. By my eye, it seems as if they may be sending Courtney off a wide pin to then flow into Spain PnR, as Mabrey is on the baseline ready for the next action.

Nonetheless, notice also the manipulation of space on display here, as Courtney — after her match-up goes under the screen — flares, she (as well as Vatansever) implores Mabrey to clear that side and empty the corner.

The manipulation of that space, in re-spacing, enables real estate to play pick-and-roll in a more organic 2v2 manner, without the threat of help defense. It leads to the lowman being late rotating to Elizabeth’s dive on the roll.

Also notice Elizabeth’s angle on the screen, how that detaches Courtney from pressure, and how Boston (defending in drop coverage) has the step up because of Courtney’s mid-range threat — enabling Courtney to hold the attention of two momentarily — which opens the pocket pass.

This one comes from SLOB (sideline out of bounds). Courtney Zippers into spread pick-and-roll with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth misses on her initial screen but notice how quickly they flow into the re-screen, Elizabeth’s re-screen impact, Courtney around the elbows forces Boston to momentarily commit, then the timing of the dish from Courtney.

The pace really helped to set the advantage.

This one had a lot going on.

First, Courtney threatens to reject the screen. That alters the initial point of the screen and gets an ‘under’ from her match-up.

Elizabeth dives as Courtney crosses, however, Courtneys scoring prowess pulls both defenders involved to the left side. As she astutely reverses sides, Elizabeth smartly stops her roll and nails Courtney’s defender.

As that occurs, notice how Boston has to then switch. On that, Courtney’s match-up is stuck behind Elizabeth, enabling the pass.

Elizabeth ultimately finishes on the offensive rebound after getting a shot on goal quickly to beat the clock, but again the pace at which they get into their automatics makes their tandem play tough to guard.

It’s the aforementioned “you do this, we do that” dancing of sorts that Courtney mentioned in my Q&A with her above.

Their counters and automatics, with pace, consistently compromise defenses.

This one was a ton of fun. Courtney’s IQ and angle recognition were so in sync with manipulating this action.

Notice how she dances just enough, with no wasted motion, to get her defender to lose leverage after trying to stay in front.

As she wins there on the rejecting of the re-screen, she’s enabled access to the drop defender here again. Right when she turns her hips to commit to Courtney, the pass is delivered in the tiniest crevice, on time to Williams as she’s momentarily unguarded in the pocket, for two more.

This one comes via a hand-off.

We see an ‘under’ given, which leads to their automatic re-screen. That, then, receives an ‘over’ from Courtney’s match-up, as well as Elizabeth’s match-up stepping up to close the airspace.

The pace again beats the weak side tags in help and enables Elizabeth an undeterred touch in the channel again.

Though it is a miss, that’s high shot quality in the red zone and displays how good of advantages this tandem can generate when dictating in pick-and-roll play.

The Fever were rendered to react to them, often, and it consistently kept them in advantage-setting positioning.

This one’s simple, but kind of gets lost in all that Courtney has been tasked with in point guard play — she’s a scorer.

The point of this screen, in contrast to those above, takes place inside the arc.

If she does receive an ‘under’ from her defender, one dribble gets her into her wheelhouse as the “Mistress of the Mid-range.”

She processes it, flows to her spot, and it bottoms up again for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

On this rep, it’s the pace again. The Sky go with their ‘Wide’ action. Off the catch, Elizabeth slips the screen a bit too soon.

The re-screen, again, see’s Elizabeth’s match-up step up to close air space — enabling the pocket pass.

On the catch this time for Elizabeth, she feels both baseline defenders peel in (this is the impact of her roll gravity over the course of the game, in addition to the pace of their re-screening duping the Fever help defense.

She’s enabled to display her short-roll playmaking-ability, as she sprays it to Copper in the opposite corner, for a timely three.

Such great tandem processing here from both Williams.

Lastly for these two, we see them come together on a more unique approach, via the “Get” action — a pass chased by the passer, to then receive a hand-off from the recipient.

It helps to keep pace, can typically put the passers’ defender behind them, and serves as adjacent to pick-and-roll.

Courtney processes the ‘under’ again here, and, because the point of the hand-off is inside the arc, one dribble gets her into her wheelhouse again and she deposits two, in flow.

When these two are able to dictate via their tandem play, it enables the likes of Copper, Mabrey, Smith, and Bertsch to play their more traditional roles in spacing/cutting.

The Sky are most optimized in these situations because those pieces are enabled to play off a rotating defense should a direct look not come from the primary action.

Independent of the Williams’ directly, the Sky also have other solid pick-and-roll tandems that are tough to defend.

Particularly, Mabrey-Williams, Williams-Smith, Evans-Smith, Evans-Bertsch.

The latter two see Evans and her ability to turn the corner to get downhill, paired with two players in Bertsch and Smith who can roll but are adept at popping after a screen as well — making their tandem play compromising to defend as well.

In all, the Sky are finding their footing with pick-and-roll play. It’s been a dynamic, on efficiency, that they have to nail and keep blended in their offensive process.

When it hits, they become less predictable in their process and keep a defense honest.

This enables them to further compromise a defense, as we will see below with a pick-and-roll wrinkle Vatansever wasted no time implementing on Sunday.

The Courtney Williams to Elizabeth Williams tandem checks in 6th in total assists (28), 4th in two-point assists (28), 2nd in assists at the rim (19), and 7th in short mid-range assists (9).

They certainly lead the dance as the pick-and-roll the Sky most frequently feature, however, when they can blend all of their aforementioned tandems into their offensive flow, that’s where their offense can really turn a corner.

Watching their offensive process evolve in the half-court, pieces grow more efficient and effective, and generate better shot quality on volume, is key to watch going forward.

The Sky have run the most pick-and-rolls, at 564 this season, which is 83 more than the second-placed Fever.

That accounts for 37.4% of their possessions on the season.

A .824 PPP (points per possession) mark ranks them 10th, which is below where their talents suggest they should be on their aforementioned volume.

Better pick-and-roll play will uplift their entire offense, including their other actions and sets, and help their offensive metrics to catch up to that of their defenses.

Her potential has – and remains – undeniable, serving as an additive to the moments she already has under her professional belt.

In light of the roster turnover that the Sky saw from 2022 to 2023 – added to Evans’ ascension into her own – the moment felt like an “opportunity meeting preparation” style of chance, in timing, for the Louisville product.

Her impact on the flow of a game – from being as disruptive as anyone in the W with chaos-inducing and rhythm-breaking activity at the point of attack to her feel in playmaking that blends well with her downhill prowess – is positively undeniable, and plenty of her numbers are supporting the eye test early in 2023.

In her nine games played this season, the Sky offense is +0.52 in offensive rating when she’s on the floor.

Additionally, on the defensive end, their defense is 9.39 better in defensive rating when she’s on.

She raises the activity levels, changes the pace, and is a calming presence at the helm of a Sky roster that is offensively constructed – aside from Evans – without a player that’s natural to the point guard position.

In an era where teams are inclined and often better-weaponized when having numerous initiators of offense, there is still a pressing need for someone who’s a natural in doing so – especially in waning moments and when the other prolific pieces need someone to set them up early in a set or action.

Insert Dana Evans, and you get just that as a player and piece for this Sky team.

Though she is admittedly a “scoring point guard” at heart, she checks off all boxes in the requisites of discernment and feel for when to hunt out her own shot, when to set up shop for her team, and how to go about doing so, that comes innately to those organically made for initiating an offense.

She’s enjoying a pace assist-wise that is on par to set a new career-best in assists per game, total assists, and assist-to-turnover ratio – all in alignment with increased opportunity.

Her overall 0.84 mark in points per possession in the half-court ranks in the 53rd percentile – which is good.

Even more, Evans’ points per possession mark when factoring in her assists (1.22) ranks 71st percentile – which is very good.

She has 157 points created on the season, and is generating a ton in changing ends as a result of her activity defensively but is also solid in assisting in the half-court as well.

The topic at hand, her playmaking, particularly in this three-game window, has been ultra-solid and efficient.

Sky starting-adjacent lineups flourish with her:

· Evans/C. Williams/Copper/Smith/E. Williams – +8 in 50 possessions

· Evans/C. Williams/Copper/Bertsch/E. Williams – +4 in 28 possessions

She’s up to 18 total assists recently, a career-best sustained mark over a window of three games.

Even more, she’s done so with just two turnovers.

She is great at processing quickly when on a break:

However, it is specifically her abilities to process and pass in the half-court that jump off the film as her volume in opportunity has sustained this season.

Take here, for instance:

Notice how she processes with her eyes, not unlike a quarterback who would go through progressions on a concept against a cover two. She bounces from reading the opposite corner, to the drop defender, to the lowman – who’s isolated as a single tagger.

As she stretches the drop defender, she feels the late switch between the drop defender and who was initially guarding her, as we as noticing the taggers foot in the paint, to then appropriately hit Parks as she lifts from the corner to stretch the taggers rotation.

We will see more of the same, here:

At first glance, this looks fairly basic against the Aces 2-3 zone.

However, customarily, as we zoom in on the details, you’ll see the “why” behind her decision-making, and how she’s processing the game.

Firstly, she lifts to stretch the rotation of the low defender, getting a reaction out of the defense.

She then processes the shifts specific to the Aces rotations and understands that Gray would be rotating to her on the flight of the pass. However, with Kone on the block and Williams in the middle, the opposite high defender would have to sink to the nail.

That help at the nail would leave Mabrey open momentarily, and the quick boomerang generates a quick reaction advantage, leading to a three via the late contest.

Next, more of her processing that’ll be aided by her pace and not tipping her hand:

This is aided by the beauty of the Sky’s spacing behind the pick-and-roll, with Copper staying above the free-throw line extended (emptying the corner, which is an entity of defense the Aces have struggled with). Clark (guarding Copper) is at a near impossible angle to “tag” Smith on her roll, given her positioning at the drag screens pre-set.

Nonetheless, Evans again stretches the drop defender, reads all low help defenders, then skips a perfectly placed and timed bounce pass in the pocket, right at the mesh point of another late-switch from the Aces. Burning them again with her processing and passing.

This is really good from Dana, and a counterbalance to the often scoring-minded operating of pick-and-roll from Mabrey/Copper.

Here is another fun rep from Evans:

So remember, the last handful or reps with her in pick-and-roll, the Aces went with the late-switch where her initial defender went over the screen, then switched onto the roller, as the rollers defender stuck with Evans.

Here, it’s drop coverage again. However, Evans can feel that the drop defender isn’t sticking with her. So, she elects to remain persistent in engaging the drop defender. Turns the corner, snakes the screen (crossing back over to the side she started on), and notice the reaction it gets as she drags the attention of two.

As she dupes the defense, and also plays the second-side help with a misleading step that alludes to her passing to Parks who lifts, it all leaves Williams unaccounted for on the roll as she sneaks under the defense.

Another here, as she doesn’t get the direct assist, but you’ll see the advantage her processing and eye manipulation sets:

Different from the Aces, she sees a two-step hedge from the Sparks. She astutely attacks the top hip to maintain progress.

As she clears the hedge, she quickly processes how the Sparks have loaded up on the roller via a low help jab at (off of Copper), but also that Hamby is peeled in early from the second-side.

Using her eyes, she holds Hamby with the look off and hits Williams. The timing of Evans’ delivery enables Williams just enough time to play connector in ultimately getting it to the roller, for two.

Evans’ playmaking is ultra-important because it allows for scoring and plays being made from an entity completely independent of their three scoring pieces, but also lessens the burdens of Copper, Mabrey, and C. Williams – all players who are capable as table and advantage setters for others, but are better when enabled to do so for themselves, and optimized when someone else can get a defense rotation or unbalanced for them to attack.

The latter statement is why “Downhill Dana,” putting consistent pressure on the paint and the rim, is a layer of the Sky offense that I feel is ultra-important.

Copper is the best driver in the WNBA and it’s not particularly close. Evans is capable of bending a defense in a similar manner. 

This stems from the persistent threat of her jump shot (which hasn’t come around quite yet but is still a weapon) and spacing beyond the arc, but also because of her lightning-quick first step.

When she gets downhill, it enables her opportunities at soft touch floaters and happens so quickly that she resembles a vacuum in the way a defense collapses in help – which is exactly what we see above, enabling her an assist.

As her general processing of defenses speeds up, and her playmaking efficiency and impact grows, the idea of her starting for this team at the point doesn’t feel unrealistic.

Even more than starting though, what’s most important is if/when she is able to close.

This piece was focused much more on her playmaking prowess and its evolution and impact on the Sky, but add her defensive value to that, and it’s exactly what you’d want at the helm in closing moments.

As Evans continues to ascend into her own, and further stamp her floor generalship on this Sky roster, pay close attention to the sustained effects she has on the game – and have they persist over the team, even more.

In this series of postgame pieces, I’ll be zooming in on the team’s specific trends, tactics, schemes, and player development, among many other things.

This will essentially be a compilation of my eye test-driven on-court insights, supported by stats, from a lens of X’s and O’s.

Let’s put their past weekend slate under the lens!

The Sky are now 4-3 through this early portion of the season.

Over the weekend, they saw a ‘home and home’ series-style match-up with the vaunted, full strength, New York Liberty.

Even more, the Sky found themselves severely undermanned, at the hands of early-season injury adversity.

But each team was able to win on the road.

The Sky spent the weekend without the services of Morgan Bertsch (ankle), Rebekah Gardner (foot), Isabelle Harrison (knee), Ruthy Hebard (maternity return), then Dana Evans was a late scratch for the latter match-up in New York due to non-Covid illness.

Additionally, an ankle tweak just before halftime of the first game, where Copper compiled 18 points in the first half, saw some compromise in the second half.

In all, it makes the one-point loss in the first game, then win in the second, after being down as much as 19 in the second half, all the more impressive and even more so, telling of just how good this Sky team is – and can be.

Here’s what caught my eye over the weekend.

1. Kahleah Freakin’ Copper

In a star-studded weekend slate that saw multiple champions, MVPs, Finals MVPs, All-Stars, All-WNBA, and All-Defensive team performers, it was the Sky’s franchise player who stood out most, and by far.

Copper averaged 23.5 PPG on 46 percent shooting from two, and 58.3 percent from 3.

Even more, she compiled 16 rebounds which all but added to the level of competitor she displayed – per usual.

This is Copper’s second stretch of back-to-back 20+ point performances of her career, speaking to the space she’s operating in.

Those are just offensive numbers.

She did a fantastic job sticking to the hip of the non-stop movement and off-screen shooter, Sabrina Ionescu in game one, while also mixing it up with all other guards on the floor by way of the Sky doing more switching this weekend than they had in earlier games this season.

What continues to remain unmatched, is her undisputed place as the best slasher in the WNBA.

Her drives are as poetic as they are dominant.

She seems to have found her scoring groove and the energy on the defensive end is matching that as well, per usual.

2. Playmaking Courtney

Williams has impressed most this season with her playmaking feel and acumen.

Over the weekend, this is what truly stole the plot in her solid showings, and Coach James Wade provided me with his insight on her displays:

She won time and time again in the on-court chess battle taking place in pick-and-roll, against the likes of Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

As she picked apart their defense with the pass, through patience and high-speed processing, she continued her stay near the top of the assist per-game leaderboard.

She also continues to keep the Sky frontcourt pieces directly involved in their offensive process, past just their screening.

The Liberty blended multiple coverages against Williams this weekend in pick-and-roll, and she responded with 13 assists to seven turnovers.

Past the numbers, the timelines in flow – time and time again – where she undid their coverage, then compromised it, was an absolute show to watch in playmaking prowess.

She is in a very good space as a decision-maker, and it is helping the Sky immensely, especially in the Clutch.

3. Clutch Courtney

In addition to her elite playmaking prowess and IQ on display this season, Courtney Williams has also been the clutchest player in the W.

Her ability to assess a defense, collect data for the first 35 minutes, then appropriately pick her spots in the waning moments is impressive as anything.

Add to that the efficiency of her strategic spot-picking that helps further her feel for the game, and you get these mercurial moments where she showcases elite play for multiple stretches.

Having another reliable piece to close with, in addition to what Copper can do, as well as Mabrey, is invaluable for the Sky.

4. Elizabeth Williams Anchoring

Elizabeth Williams has been a defensive stalwart for years now – ranking sixth in WNBA history and third among active players in blocks per game, at 1.7 per – and having made an All-Defensive team appearance in 2020.

Additionally – past just blocking or deterring shots – what makes her one of the best across the league are her IQ, positioning, versatility, awareness, and communication.

The Sky have done *plenty* of switching of late, and matchups can grow disadvantageous as a defense works to flatten out an opposing attack on the perimeter.

Defense needs a master, on-the-fly, problem solver on the back line that can reorganize. She’s been on schedule time and time again with putting fires out on the backline. Often neutralizing qualitative advantages an offense can generate, via scram and kick-out switches, and doing so with activity galore.

The “scram” switch is when there is a mismatch in the post, and, usually on the flight of the pass to the post, a switch will occur, which neutralizes what the offense looked to exploit.

Here is another example, below. It’ll end in a make, but the shot quality is low and it is a shot they’ll live with – a tough, contested two.

A “kick-out” switch is when a switch takes place out in space – typically in pick-and-roll – where a guard is switched onto the roller. A frontcourt piece will then kick them out to the perimeter, as they take over for what was a mismatch on the roll.

Her being a master in doing so with the requisite versatility and activity that she brings makes her the perfect piece to anchor a James Wade-led, versatile, dictative, and often-changing defensive scheme.

She’s well on pace to make another All-Defensive team.

5. Alanna Smith’s Versatility

The 26-year-old Australian forward has been thrust into new roles time and time again through this early portion of the season.

She was brought on to be an ancillary piece that provided both spacing and versatility, with plenty of defensive activity as well.

She’s now been in a position of starting and closing for the Sky, in the latter four of the first seven games of this season.

She’s infused great spacing moments, and high-IQ switching templates (with activity), and displayed a great feel for the game while showing great discipline in being adaptable in her role.

All of which, further proves my sentiments from earlier this season that she (along with Morgan Bertsch) will be a bonafide needle pusher for this Sky team – especially as they grow whole from the injury mend, collectively.

They add bounds of viable depth to not only fit Wade’s system but take it to new heights with an abundance of versatility and IQ on both ends of the floor.

Here, she spoke to me postgame about her offensive processing and discerning when the pop, versus when to roll in the screening game:

Defensively, she is also a connector. She’s capable of making dynamic closeouts, as well as switching to keep the defensive shell intact and play aggressively in pick-and-roll defense.

She’s shown in numerous instances that she is more than capable of being a plug-and-play type of player, who is more than able to rise to the occasion, against any match-up.

Film Session

The 26-year-old Notre Dame product signed a three-year deal with the team. It was a calmness-inducing move in response to the “splash silence” that persisted upon the franchise after the departure of mainstays like Candace Parker, Azura Stevens, and Courtney Vandersloot.

Mabrey is one of the more competitive players in the WNB. She’s never been shy in showing the chip on her shoulder and she brings another hungry and eager, yet skilled, dynamic to the fold for the Chicago Sky.

Mabrey is a shooter whose pacing can be weaponized in a manner that likens to what Allie Quigley once brought. Over her last two seasons with Dallas, Mabrey averaged 13.5 points per game on 46.5% from two, 34.6% from three, and 76.7% from the stripe.

In addition to the shooting and scoring, exclusive to her 2022 campaign, she shot a career-best 46.8% from two (on a career-high attempts from two as well, at 250), and averaged 3.7 assists per game – ranking 19th in the league.

Mabrey is a natural scorer, who is evolving into a combo guard. She’s capable of getting her own shots in a multitude of ways but she’s also learning to use her scoring prowess as a table setter for others.

In the last few seasons, Mabrey ingratiated herself, increasingly, with initiating offense and garnering a feel for play calling and floor generalship.

She also recently won a championship with her club in Italy, en route to a Finals MVP.

On media day, I asked Mabrey about her successful experience with an increased volume of initiating offenses:

“We focus a lot on me picking and choosing my spots, and then the rest of the game, making other people around me better. Just being more intentional on creation for my teammates, rather than going to score for all 40 min.”

Over the course of a game or season, having multiple initiators of offense enables your attack to both have more pace and play in the half-court with more time on the shot clock.

Among the many dynamics she’ll mesh into the fold, will be adding an initiator that poses a never-ending threat to shoot off the dribble.

Let’s dive into all things Mabrey, and zoom in on how much of a weapon she’ll be for the Sky.

Scoring

One of the more prolific scorers in the W, Mabrey is equally effective and efficient from all three levels in bucket-getting.

The fifth-year guard can get to the rim in a few different ways: via self-creation off the dribble, as a cutter, and via post-ups.

In differing offensive contexts, she’s blended the latter two into one pressure point, cutting *to* post up.

There is cutting to keep the offensive floor balance, cutting to score (via lay-ups), and cutting to post.

Mabrey is a stronger guard and has some “bully” in her game, in terms of inviting physicality. Using that plus her stature as an advantage when a smaller player is on her, is certainly something she often looks to exploit.

The volume wasn’t high, but Mabrey shot 63.6% on post-ups last season – with 1.27 points per shot mark, which is truly indicative of her effectiveness in this offensive context.

You can see she’s adept at feeling out the defense and when to cut-to-post, and sealing for control in positioning.

Generally at the rim, she was 51-77 (66.2% – above league average), which accounted for 18.2% of the attempts in her 2022 shot profile – her highest volume in percentage since her rookie season.

Moving to the mid-range – specifically non-paint twos, she converted at a 40% clip, on 110 attempts.

Percentage-wise, this was also a feat registering north of the league average. This rings even more impressive when considering the rate at which she’s generating these shots herself, via space-creating maneuvers on the move while under duress of a contest.

She has a cagey compilation of step-backs, side steps, hesitations, pump fakes, fadeaways, and rhythm-breaking between the leg combinations to dance herself to daylight and get off her quick trigger pull-up.

Last season was her lowest in terms of her “rim or 3 frequency,” which measures the percentage of all shots either at the rim or from three – at 59.20%, which is indicative of her evolving shot profile.

Zooming in even more, and combining both mentioned ranges, she was an impressive 26-for-52 from short range to 17 feet on jumpers – which would mark at 1.00 points per shot (*really good*).

Venturing beyond the arc now, she got up the 11th most attempts, at 174.

She’d shoot 35.1% on these shots, at 45% (on 20 attempts) from the corners, and 33.8% (on 154 attempts) from above the break.

Taking her self-created looks out of the math, she was at 30-for-50 (37.5%) from deep – good for 1.11 points per shot.

When guarded in this scenario, meaning a contest involved, she was a very steady 35%. When open, she was 40%.

Given the multiple creators the Sky have now, she’ll be able to shoot plenty more off the catch than in her previous seasons, weaponizing her best skill set as a shooter.

She can also be equally as much of a threat when stashed near an action, as the scouting report of opposing teams will lend itself to defenders not leaving her to help.

This could particularly be great on the second side, tugging at the strings of help defenders and enabling the Sky more space to operate within the half-court, but could also be equally as effective when she is stashed one pass away, or on the strong side of actions – for the very same reasons.

Imagine Gray is Copper or Gardner, getting into their elite slashing bag, but not having to worry about nail help or hand help, in any capacity or context, as often.

That can open up an entire portal of consequences to pay, ultimately leaving the Sky in a position of dictating.

If you help, Mabrey is open to an advantage. If you don’t, one of the best drivers and finishers will have a lane to work through, operating where they work best from.

These are the choices defenses will have to make with the lineup combinations and pairings of players James Wade will have at his disposal.

Passing

As a playmaker, Mabrey has a feel for defenses and how to best set her teammates up.

I mentioned her career-high mark in assists per game earlier, from last season.

She has plenty of untapped potential in this context and will be implored to do more in this department with the Sky

“We also expect her to make plays for herself, and for others,” said Head Coach James Wade, when I asked about what he expected from Mabrey as her dynamic is ingratiated.

In pick-and-roll, she typically will force a defense’s hand in committing two players to her.

This means that the screener’s defender, who may be dropped back against others, will be at the level of the screen – in either blitzing, hedging out/flat hedging (“showing”), or switching.

When either the screener’s defender isn’t up, her defender gets hung up on the screen, or both, it’s the threat of *this* specific shot that often materializes.

The Sky had an issue being flattened out and walled off from the paint in the playoffs, with opposing teams packing in to negate being succumbed to rotations defensively, and protecting the paint.

Now, with Mabrey, they have a baked-in pressure point as a foundation of their offensive process, that they can always be relied on to generate an advantage, with Mabrey always attracting the attention of multiple defenders in this context.

At times she has had struggles with pressure in this scenario, with some of that due to the spacing woes that Dallas had due to roster construction (and injury) in the playoffs – often leading to turnovers.

However, with the spacing the Sky have compiled – in potential 5-out offensive attacks – there will be plenty more space to play in, and more of a price to pay when committing two to the ball, as her skill and dynamic demand in multiple offensive contexts.

She will now be able to counter defenses attempting to flatten out her attack (taking away her pull-up three, and downhill-ability), by stretching them and their rotations, before deciding to attack or pass – either of which creates an advantage for the other four players on offense to play in.

Ball movement off the imminent attention she garners will be an emphasis, as an abundance of plays outside of sets will be there for the taking, as a result.

Also, she was teammates with forward, Isabelle Harrison, in Dallas.

Last season, Mabrey compiled more assists to Harrison (23), than she did to any other teammate.

Notice the corner being emptied (or slightly emptied) on three of the four clips above, that specific spacing enables them to play in a more organic 2v2, and can be the best pick-and-roll tandem for this team due to the versatility combined in the action – and the same can be applied for their handoff relationship as well.

They already have a synergy and connection, which could also even evolve as Harrison continues to grow as a floor spacer – expanding her range closer and closer to the three-point line.

If she can stretch her range to deep in the mid-range, it could often look a lot like this:

Harrison could be left with the opportunity to shoot, or attack downhill and undeterred.

This could also, often, be one of Alanna Smith or Morgan Bertsch as well – both of which have shown the ability also to stretch the floor, but also play make on the short-roll and in the pocket, for themselves and in connecting to others.

(Sidenote: those two will be *vital* to the potential this team possesses in playing 5-out basketball, an avenue for them to optimize their speed on both ends of the floor, and also dictate to opponents for stretches of games – an entity I anticipate revisiting multiple times this season.)

I’ll be keyed in on her playmaking processing generally, but especially as she attracts two in pick-and-roll, as it could be a point of infliction for the Sky, in weaponizing Mabrey.

Film Session

Let’s take a look at more film on Mabrey, through the lens of her playoffs showing against the Connecticut Sun, in round one of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.

The preseason game sold out Scotiabank Arena, recorded an official attendance of 19,923, and sold out 98 percent of the in-arena merchandise.

The Sky came away with an 82-74 win with Kahleah Copper leading the way with 18 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

But also standing out in the game was Morgan Bertsch.

The versatile forward, who was signed to a training camp deal on April 17, proved why her stint with the Sky should extend past the opening day roster cut-down deadline, set for Thursday.

Bertsch registered 12 points (4-7 from the floor, 4-4 from the stripe), along with five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

It was a thorough display of excellent touch, feel, adaptability, and general IQ in an expanded role with the Sky heading into Canada sans their presumed starting frontcourt of Isabelle Harrison and Elizabeth Williams.

Their absences presented an opportunity, and Bertsch’s preparation was on full display.

Let’s get into the film breakdown.

Defense

We’ll start with defense, as Bertsch displayed great instincts and feel both on the ball, like here:

As well as in help, again containing the ball in isolation here:

Generally being able to apply pressure and do so without fouling, is invaluable for a team that leans heavily on its frontcourt to be switchable and versatile.

Here, we saw some of Bertsch’s defensive help engagement, prowess, and awareness.

Notice how she closes the air space, with physicality and active hands, to terminate the reaction advantage Minnesota garnered on their staggered screens.

She’s there in a position to help Williams who’s detached in her navigation, then is able to late-switch with her to keep the defensive she’ll intact.

Notice her reaction time in this clip:

Bertsch pinches in from the strong corner as they seemingly accidentally kept two to the ball, and was able to get to the shooting hand before an attempt could get up.

Here, again, notice the timing of her instinctive rotation again as the lowman:

Her verticality and timing take away the easier pass to the corner, plus the attempt at the rim, forcing a wrap-around pass that allows her teammate a chance to close out.

In addition to that, notice the switch flip for her as Bertsch changes ends of the floor. Her first three steps put her in an eventual position to undo the transition defense as she chose the right lane to run, and ultimately burned them.

Here, we’re going to see a strong side handoff in the empty corner, paired with some dummy off-ball/weakside staggered/exchange action – simply to occupy the help defenders and enable space for the “two-man” game to unfold.

Bertsch, on high alert, even away from the “porch” near the restricted area, is still aware and able to react on time for yet another timely contest in rim protection, while again covering ground quickly to position herself to be effective.

No block, but the contest is equally as effective, as Williams was burned on the backdoor cut.

Yet another impressive display of dexterity and athleticism, to cancel a reaction advantage created by the offense:

Bertsch sees a slip from her match-up as she jumps to the level of the screen, then she has to quickly revert to keep the ball out of the paint on the pass.

In that, she’s also then tasked with showing help – as her match-up rolls – due to lost containment at the point of attack.

Notice her verticality – again – without fouling, to garner yet another stop and cover up for slippage on-ball.

Lastly, we see her with another disciplined contest at the basket:

She’s able to defend in space following the hit-ahead pass, then again alters the vision of the basket and backboard as she sticks to the hip for the contest.

Nailing these little things in switching, rotating, awareness, discipline, and physicality – on repeat – will be a driving force in her being kept on the roster, and also earning meaningful minutes for staying power in Wade’s rotation.

Offense

Additionally, the versatility she brings to the offensive end was equally as impressive – though not surprising given she’s scored everywhere she’s played.

First is the Sky’s 5-out spacing, in “delay” action (when a frontcourt player has the ball at/near the top of the key, with all other players spaced on the perimeter).

Being trusted and skilled enough to handle viably in this offensive context is one thing, as it enables the Sky – with pace – to play off Chicago/Miami/Zoom (dribble hand-offs variants) that’ll enable the likes of Copper/Mabrey/Williams/Evans downhill off the catch.

It’s also important because Bertsch has the uncanny ability as a frontcourt piece to put the ball on the deck and put pressure on the paint.

The threat of that, combined with the extended pressure of the Lynx defense, enables her to drive the top foot of her defender and attract the attention of the nail help.

However, guess who’s one pass away – where the nail help came from? It’s Dana Evans who’s spaced to the “four-point line” which makes the rotation back of the nail help *that* much more exaggerated, and she deposits three.

Here we’ll see her disciplined with the screen, and induce a switch:

The switch enables her to drive directly to the basket. As the shot goes up, she’s out of position, but she competes in pursuing the rock via the swim move, gets to it first, and forces a foul while gaining an extra possession.

This is *really* good stuff.

Here, we’ll see her IQ and skill in real-time via the sideline out of bounds.

Solid denial from the Lynx in fronting the post, in addition to the crafty “switch-out,” where you see the inbounders defender switch up the line, to account for the cutters match-up, throws off the Sky’s timing.

Bertsch, seeing the pressure, cuts off feel to the dome, then knows that Smith has her match-up sales top-side, so a post entry over the top is there.

Having not touched the ball for even a half-second, she’s delivered it to the advantage and is able to beat the low help as Williams kept that side occupied.

Great real-time problem-solving and solution-based activity, again, from Bertsch.

Ends in a miss, but you see the overall dynamic in play with her.

Next, again she’s trusted in some Delay-adjacent action, that flows into an empty side dribble pick-and-roll, with Copper.

After the screen through physicality, she pops to the mid-range and knocks down a quick release catch–and-shoot – with no effort.

We’ll see another here, as she gets out ahead of the ball in transition, to set a drag screen for Williams:

She then, again, this time with defense yet to set itself, pops to the mid-range and – as Williams heads two to the ball – stretches the help defense before depositing two more from the mid-range.

She has a clear touch and comfortability from this range, even off the catch.

Lastly, we’ll see her get into it one final time in this “pocket” scenario on the short pop:

She follows her pass into a screen, then astutely feels out the pressure from the coverage, as they’re in another emptied corner scenario – enabling space.

As she feels her match-up step up to the level of the screen, and no longer behind her, she smartly slips the pressure on-ball, into that short pop pocket, spaced away from the low help defense again, and effortlessly deposits two more in rhythm.

Morgan Bertsch’s name will be one to get familiar with as the Sky transition into the regular season, and with her array of two-way skill and adept feel even more, she could very well carve out a role in the rotation this season that will be pivotal as games grow meaningful late in the season.

The increased levels of activity that come as she steps on the floor are impossible to ignore, and that positive freneticism is a level of chaos-inducing activity that can be parlayed into a true weapon for this team – regardless of her role.

Full Film Session

But every good story needs a humble beginning and there is no shortage of possibilities when it comes to first chapters. From the Bears finally looking like they have their quarterback to the Blackhawks rolling the dice for a chance at Connor Bedard, there’s a chance we could one day look back at 2022 as the year it all began.

With that in mind, let’s look at the 10 Chicago sports that made the most noise.

10. Bears unveil plans for Arlington Heights development

There wasn’t a lot of action or hard decisions made when it came to the Bears moving to the northwest suburbs. But there were two big takeaways. The Bears sent a message to Lori Lightfoot and the city of Chicago that they weren’t interested in a Soldier Field renovation. They also showed off their vision for the Arlington Park site, a plan that includes a team-financed stadium and a publicly-financed entertainment district they’ll have to sell to citizens. The year 2023 figures to feature a lot more headlines as the Bears figure out just how to pay for the move.

9. Cubs say goodbye to Willson Contreras, Sox part ways with Jose Abreu

Two of Chicago’s most popular baseball players the past decade will have new homes in the new year. The Cubs couldn’t find a deal for Contreras at the trade deadline and weren’t interested in a pricy extension so they’ll start seeing him in Cardinals uniform come spring. His departure means that Kyle Hendricks is the lone player remaing from the 2016 World Series team.

Abreu, meanwhile, was one of the lone bright spots for the Sox for many years and seems destined for a statute/number retirement on the South Side one day. For now, he’ll play the next three years for the Astros.

8. Khalil Mack trade signals start of Ryan Poles’ tenure

The Bears’ newest GM didn’t waste any time in starting the rebuild at Halas Hall, trading the star edge rusher on March 16, the first day of the league year. The Los Angeles Chargers sent back a second-round pick in 2022 (which turned out to be Jaquan Brisker) and a sixth-rounder in 2023. The deal kicked off an active year for Poles as he also traded Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn before acquiring Chase Claypool before the deadline.

7. Blackhawks finally go all in on rebuild

After several years of wandering through the land of NHL mediocrity, the Hawks finally admitted it was time to take things down to the studs. New GM Kyle Davidson immediately started collecting draft picks by trading away Brandon Hagel, Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. The early returns look promising, but the Hawks won’t know if they won the real prize until next spring’s draft lottery. Landing a generational superstar like Connor Bedard at the top of the draft would accelerate the team’s push back toward the top of the NHL.

6. Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk leave Blackhawks booth

We knew that the 2021-22 season would be Foley’s last behind the mike as the beloved play-by-play announcer made a much-celebrated farewell tour the entire year. What we didn’t see coming was a breakdown over a new contract between Eddie O. and the team. The squabble led to Olczyk making a shocking departure to Seattle over the summer and Hawks fans facing an uncertain future with two of the most familiar voices in Chicago broadcasting.

5. Sky title defense falls short

It’s been 20 years since a WNBA team repeated as champion and for good reason — it’s a tough thing to do! The Sky put together a great regular season, winning a franchise-record 26 games on the regular calendar and hosting the WNBA All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena. But after eliminating the New York Liberty in the opening round of the playoffs — Chicago’s only playoff series win all year long — they wilted in the final minutes of a decisive game 5 against the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Semifinals. It was a disappointing finish to a two-year run that saw the Sky generate plenty of excitement in the city. 2023 will be a pivotal season for the franchise as it’s unclear whether franchise legends Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Candace Parker (all free agents) will return.

4. Bulls end playoff drought, but resurrection stalls

2022 couldn’t have started with any better vibes as DeMar DeRozan hit back-to-back buzzer beaters and the Bulls started the year atop the Eastern Conference. But Lonzo Ball left the team with a knee injury two weeks later, throwing the plan of Arturas Karnisovas into disarray and leading to an abbreviated showing in their first playoff appearance since 2017. Twelve months later, the Bulls are looking for a clear path on what to do next as the team appears to have hit a solid ceiling as currently constructed.

3. The Tony La Russa experiment ends as a spectacular failure

The 2022 Chicago White Sox seemed like a lock to win the American League Central and get another shot at making their deepest playoff run since 2005. They were instead cursed by injuries, bad leadership and underachieving play while finishing a middling 81-81. Health problems caused Tony La Russa to retire two years into a three-year contract, ending owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s wish to write a happier ending than the one La Russa experienced in 1986. The Sox have a lot of hills to climb in 2023, not only on the field but also in the stands where they’ve angered a loyal fanbase by mismanaging what should have been a robust period of contention.

2. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace fired

It may have come a year too late, but Halas Hall experienced momentous change on January 10, when George McCaskey dismissed both his head coach and general manager after a 6-11 season. Nagy’s firing ended a tumultuous four-year season that started with a NFL coach of the year award and playoff appearance but will be remembered for a sputtering offense that consistently ranked near the bottom of the league. Pace led the franchise for seven seasons, missing on his two coaching hires (John Fox and Nagy) and leaving a legacy that included several high-profile misses in the draft and only two playoff appearances. The story set into motion a process that ostensibly revamped the power structure at Halas Hall and led the Bears to hire another Ryan (Poles) and Matt (Eberflus) to lead football operations.

1. Justin Fields breakout season

Finally! A good thing to remember 2022 by! The second-year quarterback instilled hope in Bears fans everywhere, becoming a league-leading threat on the ground and showing flashes of a potential MVP candidate. While there is still improvement to be made, it’s hard to find anyone not excited about what this Bears team could look like once it gets away from all the dead cap space and through a draft stocked with picks. Most of us have waited all our lives for a legitimate Bears quarterback and it looks like he has finally arrived.

It’s an exciting day at CHGO as we’re unlocking more content on our site so that more fans than ever before can enjoy the analysis and insights from our writers.

We’re also introducing our redesigned CHGO membership which we believe is the ultimate must-have for the ultimate Chicago sports fan.

We’re calling it The Diehard Level and we’ve stuffed it with so many benefits that it will immediately upgrade your fandom higher than ever before.

Like everything else at CHGO, we’ve organized this program around our “Three Cs”: Culture, community and content.

Here’s what you get when you sign up!

Culture

• A free CHGO shirt or hat upon sign up and EVERY YEAR after renewal (a $34.99 value)
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• 20% off every merchandise order at the CHGO Locker
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• Exclusive merchandise for Diehards only
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• A membership card and sticker pack to prove you’re a CHGO Diehard
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• Special Diehards-only offers from CHGO partners

Community

• 20% off tailgates and takeovers for every team in town
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• CHGO Diehards-Only Discord Lounge
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• Online Q&As/Happy Hours with CHGO staff members

Content

• Diehards-only newsletters from CHGO beat writers like Adam Hoge’s “Bears Things” and Will Gottlieb’s “Bulls Film Breakdown”
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• Mailbags for Diehards only
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• Exclusive video and podcast content

We won’t be stopping there, either. We will continue working to make sure that CHGO Diehard Level is the only kit our city’s biggest fans will ever need.

Thousands of our previous members were automatically upgraded this morning when we introduced the program, we’d love to welcome you into the club.

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A DIEHARD!

Best,
​
Kevin Kaduk
CHGO Head of Content

“Free-flowing, back-cutting, a lot of cutting – it’s very pretty when they get it going. They imposed their will…We did not make it messy enough,” Miller said on the Sky’s gameplay during a post-game conference after Game 2. A rough application of these comments could apply to Game 3, the act of will-imposing pending.

“We know that Connecticut is a physical team,” Candace Parker said during a post-game conference on Sunday afternoon. Parker also notched another postseason double-double. “We knew Game 3 was going to be a grind.”

The Sky ultimately found themselves victorious due to defense. Chicago has forced 30 Connecticut turnovers over the past two games. After today’s game, the Sky lead the playoffs with 52 steals, nine ahead of Connecticut. In this game, 30 defensive rebounds, 12 steals, and four blocks would help stifle any runs by the Sun. 

“We responded well to their runs,” coach James Wade told reporters. “We didn’t have any lows. It was a defensive and physical battle, but we were up for the challenge.”

Despite being the top two teams in field goal percentage during the regular season, the Sky and Sun combined to shoot 27-for-75 (36.0%) in the first half. Chicago managed to put up just 37.1% from the field and a lackluster 24% from three. Just five offensive boards would have sealed the Sky’s fate; the Sun had twice as many. 

The slump from three also continued; Allie Quigley shot 1 for 7 from three. However, the Sky isn’t the only team suffering from three woes. Heading into Game 3, all four Semi-Finals teams are shooting 29.0% (45-for-155) from three-point range through the first four Semi-Finals games.

Kahleah Copper had a lethargic first half, where her shots did not seem to fall. There was a scary moment in the third quarter where Copper took a knee to her chest from a leaping Courtney Williams. Copper remained on the floor underneath the basket for a few moments, but returned to the game where she appeared to look better with connecting on layups.

The Sky’s front court continued to shine. Emma Meesseman had her second straight excellent game on both sides of the court. Defensively, she was partially responsible for holding DeWanna Bonner to shooting 4 for 14 from the field. Meesseman was also named player of the game, for putting up 13 points, six assists, and five of the Sky’s 12 steals. Maggie Hendricks of Bally Sports asked Meesseman if guarding Jonquel Jones was fun, as Meesse did an excellent job of limiting Jones in the paint during Wednesday’s Game 2. 

“It all depends on how many bruises I have tomorrow,” Meesseman answered with a wry smile.

“Job’s not finished,” as Candace Parker said post-game. The Sky are now one win away from bringing back to back finals to Chicago. For now, they’ll stick around Uncasville, Connecticut for a bit longer. The telltale Game 4 of the WNBA Semi-Finals will take place on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET.

As is then, always, and forever: Sky in four. 

The Sky’s 63 points were the fewest scored in the 2022 season. The Sky’s 35.3% field goal shooting was Chicago’s lowest percentage in a playoff game since 2014. With shots not falling, there was also a lack of offensive boards for the Sky (7), and in response, there were nearly twice as many for the Sun (12). 

“We were surprised by the hedging,” Azurá Stevens told reporters in a post-game conference. I don’t think we were prepared for that.” 

There were 11 lead changes throughout the contest, culminating in a telltale fourth quarter. The Sky led by one with 1:54 left in the game after Emma Meesseman sunk a three. Moments later, Candace Parker missed a three which led to DeWanna Bonner hitting a basket to answer.

“I think we dribbled a little too much, and that sort of put it in their favor because they were trapping a lot,” Stevens said of the Sun’s defense. “They were getting their hands on a lot of balls, and the best way to combat that is just to move [the ball].”

The Sun took a similar page from the Las Vegas Aces playbook, attempting to keep the Sky out of the paint which forced them to rely on threes with poor looks. Allie Quigley went 0 for 5 from three, while the entire team went 8-30.

“I say this in the nicest way possible, but we have to make this series messy,” Connecticut head coach Curt Miller told reporters. “We’re going to be good around the basket. We’re going to rebound. We’re going to defend our tails off. We have to make it messy, and we got the game messy tonight, which was our advantage.”

Messy was a good descriptor. In the fourth quarter, a fight over the ball between Kahleah Copper and Courtney Williams resulted in a double technical. Neither Copper nor Williams refused to let go of the ball; Williams eventually conceded.

Messiness aside, Candace Parker’s historical performance should not go overshadowed. Parker became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a playoff game. She fell one steal short of recording the second 5×5 game in league history, something she achieved during her rookie season in 2008.

It’s a known fact that the Sky respond well when their collective backs are against the wall. Just last week, the Sky bounced back after a Game 1 loss to the New York Liberty. The Sky will have another chance to get the dub on Wednesday night for Game 2 at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off is at 7PM CT, and the game will air on ESPN2. 

As is always the case; Sky in four.

One of the keys to this game was to take the sold-out crowd at Barclays Center in Brooklyn out of the game early, and strike first. The Sky outscored the Liberty in the paint during the first quarter by 14-6, and followed with 29 points in the second quarter. Courtney Vandersloot was the first to reach double-digits in scoring, and led all scorers with 12 first half points.

“The more experienced team won tonight,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said in a post-game conference. “You see the chemistry that they have. They just had poise, and just made plays.”

Player of the game Candace Parker fell two assists short of a triple-double, which would have been the fourth in WNBA playoff history. “I’m old in basketball years,” Parker told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. Parker contributed on both ends of the court, including an impressive pump fake in the third quarter. Parker maneuvered around Natasha Howard guarding at the perimeter; a peculiar trick shot off Betnijah Laney’s arm followed.

Rebekah Gardner put on a defensive masterclass as she was able to put the brakes on superstar Sabrina Ionescu. Kahleah Copper showcased some clinic-worthy defense and scored a team-high 15 points. Azurá Stevens contributed 12 points from off the bench. Collectively, the Sky shot 48% from the field. Shooting threes still remains an area of potential improvement, but Allie Quigley landed four out of eight attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Chicago’s opponent for the semi-finals has yet to be determined. The Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun will square off in their Game 3 matchup on Wednesday night. Dallas’ All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale was listed as “probable” to play as of Tuesday afternoon. Ogunbowale underwent season-ending surgery to alleviate an abdominal injury in early August. 

As for the Sky, they’ll return home on Sunday, August 28, to face the winner of that aforementioned Game 3 between Dallas and Connecticut. This will be Game 1 of the best-of-five semi-finals of the WNBA playoffs. Tip-Off at Wintrust Arena is at 7 p.m. CT; tickets are on sale now, or you can watch on ESPN.

Sky in three, for now, is the new Sky in four.

“This is playoff basketball,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello told reporters after the game. “We found a way to win.” 

Basketball is truly a game of runs; the Sky thought their six point lead would be safe with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Sky missed 10 out of their last 11 shots that would have helped keep the game out of reach. Meanwhile, the Liberty went on a 13-0 run to end the game; that strong run would seal the fate of both teams. 

The Liberty went into Game 1 marked as underdogs, bestowed the seventh seed. Sabrina Ionescu, Natasha Howard, Betnijah Laney and old friend Stefanie Dolson all recorded double figures in scoring. Dolson actually tied a single-game playoff high by landing three 3-pointers against her former squad. Ionescu put up 10 points in the fourth quarter, helping propel her team to the finish line. 

“It takes heart and grit. You just have to believe. I keep telling this team, why not us?” Ionescu shared with reporters. 

Kahleah Copper’s postseason grit certainly blossomed in this matchup. Copper recorded 20 plus points for the fourth time in her last six playoff games. The 2021 Finals MVP’s postseason masterclass included an impressive rebound, running on the baselines to keep the ball in-bounds to find Allie Quigley, who promptly landed a three. 

Five Sky players scored in double figures, including Copper, Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens from off the bench. 

The Sky finished the regular season with their winningest record in franchise history, going 26-10 but found themselves in the two-seed after falling to the Las Vegas Aces in the second to last game of the regular season. 

“Any time you start the playoffs, it’s a brand new season. Record goes out the window. We gotta run a fluid offense and get stops defensively,” Candace Parker told reporters. 

It’s not ideal to lose the first game of a best-of-three postseason first round. Now, the Sky must uninstall any trepidations and readjust to what’s now an elimination game, or their dream of running it back to another chip will fall short. Following is a short assessment of what needs to be done to recrown Skytown.

Live, Don’t Die By the Three

The Sky ended Wednesday evening by shooting 28% from three; they need to revitalize their plays in order to have their shots fall. Allie Quigley is not the Sky’s only viable three shooter.  Azurá Stevens, Candace Parker, and Emma Meesseman are verified three point shooters, as opposing teams have figured out that the ball will eventually land in Quigley’s hands. 

On the flip side, the Sky have been rather permissive with the opposition’s threes. The Liberty shot 44.0% from three, a result of Stefanie Dolson and Natasha Howard being left open.

Busting the Slump(s)

Bricking from three is one thing. The Sky, who were once the top free-throw shooting team in the W, are now in a free throw slump. It’s true they need to take every chance to get to the line – they were second in the league in  Free Throw Percentage, at 82.3%. On Wednesday, they landed 16 out of 22 chances (72.7%) Free baskets can’t be missed.

Stop Missing Shots Already

Maybe too obvious of an observation, but the Sky have fallen upon some poor shooting games. This didn’t seem like one of them, until they missed 10 out of the last 11 shots of the game.

Candace Parker assessed the situation post-game. “We didn’t get the best looks. Defensively, we have to do a better job. Rotations…if we’re gonna put two on the ball, having pressure. We were up seven twice. We made mistakes, missed layups, missed shots, missed assignments.”

Sky in three? Sky in three.

The new playoff format, a best-of-three, will find the Sky back at it again at home on Saturday morning. Tip-Off at Wintrust Arena is at 11 a.m. CT and the game will be aired on ESPN. ​​If the Sky are victorious on Saturday, the teams will meet for a winner-takes-all Game 3 on Tuesday, August 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Candace Parker’s attitude towards the next game holds the mentality the Sky must adapt in order to survive. 

“It’s a must win. It’s an elimination game. New York is a good team. There are a lot of things we need to do better, and I’d be saying that if we won that game.”

“You could tell the team we were playing were desperate, and they were playing for something,” Coach James Wade told reporters in a conference after the game. 

“We didn’t do a good enough job of guarding them,” Courtney Vandersloot affirmed in the same conference moments after.

The Storm found themselves in the eye of a blustery 38 points scored in the first quarter, along with etching some WNBA history. They set a new record with 37 assists, also tying a franchise record with 111 points scored, and finally set a team record with 44 total field goals made. The Storm entered the second half shooting a remarkable 76% from the field. In the first quarter alone, Seattle scored more points in the paint (28) than the Sky’s total points scored (26). Old friend Gabby Williams recorded 21 points, including 10 in that fateful first quarter. 

“They were getting a lot of wide open shots,” Rebekah Gardner told reporters after the game. “If we could do a better job of the initial action and getting in front of the ball, then they won’t get those wide-open shots.”

Beyond new records, there were a few final goodbyes. The Sky gave career recognition for both Sue Bird and Briann January, playing in their last regular season game at Wintrust Arena before the two veterans retire after the season ends. 

Vandersloot was still sporting the black eye she suffered in an altercation this past Sunday, versus the Connecticut Sun. Sloot was named player of the game, scoring 28 points and notching seven assists. Candace Parker made a few valiant efforts to keep the Sky in the game, including a classic pump fake to fool Stephanie Talbot. 

The Sky managed to whittle the lead to within eight, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Storm’s raucous shooting prowess. In the fourth quarter, both teams held a near-identical shooting percentage, 58% for the Storm, 57% for the Sky.

Notably, this was the Sky’s worst loss of 2022, and the last regular-season game at Wintrust Arena. Their second worst loss was the home opener at Wintrust Arena, a seven point loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on May 6. This is not counting the Commissioner’s Cup Final versus the Aces, where the Sky fell 93-83. Every other of the Sky’s nine losses has been by less than four points.

Even though the Sky lost, their postseason picture remains favorable. They’re still one game ahead of Las Vegas in the standings, with two games left to go in the regular season. A fateful game lies ahead on Thursday, where they’ll play the second-place Aces. A win would help solidify the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs. 

“Bring that same energy for the playoffs and we promise we won’t let you down.” – Coach Wade to the 9,314 fans in attendance at Wintrust Arena.

Will Sky in Three, at least for now, become the new Sky in Four? Absolutely. 

The Dallas Wings bested the Chicago Sky using consistent physicality to pull ahead. 16 turnovers foretold the Sky’s demise, along with a continuation of a recent three-point slump first noticeable in last Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Cup Final.

The Wings were missing high-scoring guard Arike Ogunbowale, out with an ankle injury. Northwestern’s Veronica Burton started in Ogunbowale’s stead. The rookie put together an eight point, nine rebound performance, along with a career-high three steals. Marina Mabrey led all players with 26 points. Teaira McCowan was trouble on both ends of the court. She shot 8-for-12 from the field, and pulled 12 rebounds. The Sky had no answer to McCowan until the fourth quarter, where Azurá Stevens finally blocked McCowan’s attempted three-foot layup.

“Dallas is Physical,” Stevens told reporters after the game.  

“The refs didn’t call much. We don’t know what we’re getting from them. We responded in the fourth. We were physical back. Just gotta do that for 40 minutes.”

Tensions were rising for both benches with Coach James Wade and Kahleah Copper visibly expressing displeasure with calls in the fourth. The Sky and Wings both evened on foul calls, at 20 a piece. This was an uncharacteristically poor free throw shooting game for the Sky. They entered this game leading the league in free throw percentage, at 83.0%. At halftime, they were shooting just 58.3%, and finished the game at a slightly improved 63.6%. 

The Sky attempted a late comeback with a 18-7 run from 6:14 to 0:19 in the fourth quarter, pulling within two points of the Wings. Kahleah Copper was named player of the game, and  recorded her second consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. 

A recurring theme this week for the Sky has been putting the work in early. Dallas kept it a close ballgame for the first quarter, gradually widening their lead to 14 points in the third. In the post-game presser, Coach Wade noted the importance of pulling ahead early.

“If you do early work, you can fall on your butt and still be ok. I’d rather fall on my butt than on my face.”

Five games remain in the regular season, with three remaining at home. The Sky will take on the Washington Mystics on Friday, August 5. Tip-off at Wintrust Arena is at 7 p.m. CT.

This was an unusual game where turnovers appeared to be the problem via the eye test. However, the Aces finished with 15 turnovers compared to the Sky’s 13. That telltale 33 point first quarter for the Aces gave them an insurmountable lead throughout the contest. Kelsey Plum scored the first basket of the game – a wide open three. Plum repeated that play not once, not twice, but thrice, for nine points within the first two minutes of the game. 

This was an overall terrible shooting game for Chicago. They eventually finished at 40%, but they shot 14% from the field by the end of the first quarter. 

By halftime, three Sky players had 30 of the team’s 34 points: Emma Meesseman, Candace Parker, and Kahleah Copper all put up 10 points each heading into the second half. At one point, the Sky were down 21 points. The Sky made a few key runs in the second half and eventually managed to trim the lead down to seven points. However, the effort was still not enough to overcome the Aces’ strong start.  

“They came out and threw the first punch,” Parker told reporters in a post-game conference. 

The Aces defense, including A’ja Wilson’s six blocks, proved successful at keeping the Sky away from the rim. Aces defenders also forced the Sky into some awkward threes. The Sky missed their first 13 attempts from three, with Parker finally breaking the three-point cold spell in the second half. 

Aces head coach Becky Hammon acknowledged the Sky finally breaking into the paint later on in the game, but not enough to assuage the damage from the first quarter.

“They got into the paint in the second half. Some of it they missed, some of it was our defense. You need multiple efforts to stop this team,” Coach Hammon said.

Rebekah Gardner made some key plays at the rim in the second half, and finished with nine points and five rebounds. 

“It gave us a level of toughness that we needed. Probably should have gotten her in there earlier,” Coach Wade said on Gardner’s game. “I probably put her in there a little too late.”

Even with some decent looks, poor shooting sealed the Sky’s fate early. This was Courtney Vandersloot’s first game returning from what was a four-game absence due to concussion protocols. Sloot shot 4-for-10 from the field, and missed all three point attempts made. She entered this game with the Sky’s highest shooting percentage versus the Aces, at 57.7%.

Coach Wade emphasized that Sloot was ready to play, and had no issues returning from her absence. The veteran point guard took a hard fall in a win versus the Los Angeles Sparks on July 14. 

“I knew if we put her in a uniform, she would be ready to play,” Wade said of Vandersloot.

As a bounty for winning the Cup, each Las Vegas Aces player earned $30,000, while each Sky player received $10,000. Chelsea Gray controlled all aspects of the floor. Gray was named game MVP; she earned a bonus of $5,000. In the spirit of the league’s social justice and civic engagement initiative, each WNBA team chose a charitable or civic organization to benefit from the series. The Aces raised money for the ACLU of Nevada, while the Sky chose My Block, My Hood, My City.

The Sky look to bounce back on Friday, July 29, where the New York Liberty return to Wintrust Arena for their final 2022 regular season game in Chicago. Game tipoff is at 7PM CT, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and CW 26.

Three of Copper’s teammates also rang up double figures in scoring: Emma Meesseman, Candace Parker, and Allie Quigley. The Sky had an optimal shooting game, going 47.3% from the field in contrast to the Wings’ 39.4%. Chicago also out-rebounded the Wings, 40 to 24. The Sky also set WNBA record on Thursday night. Their collective 25 assists marked the 20th consecutive game they’ve had at least 20.

The Sky defense held Wings powerhouse Arike Ogunbowale to three first-half points. Ogunbowale holds a career-average 24.5 points per game against the Sky, which is her highest average against any team. In 32 minutes played, Ogunbowale scored 15 points total.

The Wings reclaimed a minimal lead in the second half, as they went on a 21-9 run from 5:23 in the third quarter to 8:53 in the fourth quarter. The Sky bounced back with Meesseman’s 12 fourth quarter points and Parker’s 3-point jump shot with 2:06 left in the game.

Courtney Vandersloot was absent from yesterday’s game due to concussion protocol, after taking a tough fall in Thursday’s game versus the Los Angeles Sparks. Sloot’s absence marked her first since August 11, 2019, snapping an 88 consecutive game streak. Without the floor general in Sloot, an integral playmaker, this win certainly was a statement for the Sky.

Your first place Chicago Sky are 19-4 on the season, and are rolling on a four-game win streak heading into Sunday morning. The Sky will return to Wintrust Arena on Wednesday for a matinee matchup versus Lincolnwood, Illinois native Jewell Loyd and the Seattle Storm. Tip-off is at 11:00 a.m. CT and will be aired on NBA TV, Marquee Sports, Fox 13+, and Amazon Prime. 

Four Sky players, including Gardner, had points in double figures: Kahleah Copper, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens. Stevens has wonderfully fulfilled a role that allows strength from off the bench. She set a new career-high for three-pointers made in a season with 29. Gardner’s performance is also a testimony to the length of the Sky bench and how they provide some much-needed second-half resilience. 

The Sparks led for most of the first quarter, but the rest of the game ruled in favor for Chicago. The Sky indeed outscored the Sparks 43-14 in bench points; the Sky also tied a season-low in first-quarter scoring as they put up just 16 points. A Sky 13-5 run from 3:20 in the third quarter to 8:42 in the fourth quarter certainly helped solidify the dub, as the Sky dropped 31 points in the third quarter alone. 

What’s on deck next for the most electrifying team in the WNBA? Wheels up for the Sky to Arlington, Texas to play the Dallas Wings on Saturday. Tip-off at College Park Center is at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be aired on Marquee Sports Network, CBS Sports Network, and Bally Sports Southwest Extra.

Meesseman earned player of the game accolades. She finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. She shot 9 for 13 from the field, and was perfect at the free throw line, making both of her attempts. The former Finals MVP has made a monumental impact on the Sky this season. Meesseman’s 54.2 field goal percentage leads the squad; she’s also putting up an average of 12.2 points a game.

“We’re getting our chemistry down. Roles are more solidified. We’re playing with a sense of urgency, and we’re coming in the form of who we want to be,” Coach James Wade told reporters in a press game conference on Thursday night. 

Allie Quigley, Candace Parker, and Azurá Stevens all came up with points in double figures; Stevens contributed 16 points from off the bench and has been a strong sixth woman contender from the jump. Sharp shooting has been a cornerstone for this strong first half. As a team, the Sky shot 54.8 percent from the field. Going into this game, they led the WNBA in field goal percentage at 47.8 percent. The Sky also lead the WNBA in assists at 24 per game; on Thursday, they put up 25 as a team.

This was the final regular-season matchup between the two clubs. Rookie NaLyssa Smith put up 20 points; she scored 12 of the Fever’s 15 first-quarter points. She also reached a season-high with three three-pointers in a game. Kelsey Mitchell was Indiana’s top scorer with 27. Mitchell and Smith combined to score 28 of the team’s overall 38 points in the first half.

With this victory, the Sky have secured home-court advantage for the final game for the Commissioner’s Cup on July 26, where they’ll face the top-ranked Las Vegas Aces. The Sky are now 16-6, and hold a two-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the Connecticut Sun.

Up next: The All-Star Game

With the first half of the season in the rear view mirror, Chicago now becomes the epicenter of the WNBA universe this weekend as Wintrust Arena will host the brightest stars of the league.

Along with coach James Wade, the Sky will feature four players in Meesseman, Parker, Kahleah Copper, and Courtney Vandersloot at the All-Star Game. You can catch the game Sunday at 12 PM CT, on ABC. Allie Quigley will make what could be her last appearance in the 3-point competition; those buckets will fly at Wintrust at 2 PM CT on Saturday.

Sky players plan on showing up, and showing loud for their All-Star teammates. Azurà Stevens told reporters that the entire team plans on attending the game, but also revealed via Twitter that she will be participating in the Skills competition, bringing the total Sky participation up to seven.

Chicago Sky’s Kahleah Copper continues to show why she deserves to start in next month’s All-Star Game. Plus the Chicago Sky earn a trip to the Commissioner’s Cup title game against Las Vegas. Janice Scurio and Subria Whitaker get you caught up on the week that was on the CHGO Sky

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Heart and Sole

The Chicago Sky hosted a shoe drive on Monday, in support of Brittney Griner’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive. Shoes donated at the game were to benefit the Sports Shed, a nonprofit serving schools and other non-profits in under-resourced areas with athletic programs, mainly in Chicago. There was also an autographed shoe auction to support Phoenix Rescue Mission, a nonprofit in Arizona. 

According to the Sky, over 400 pairs of shoes were donated to the cause.

“It was a lot. I gave 11 pairs,” Coach Wade said on the shoe drive effort. “We took it very seriously to help support her. We’re doing what we can to bring awareness and put pressure on who we need to put pressure on to bring her home.”

Griner has now been wrongfully detained in Russia for over 100 days. Coach Wade commented on the situation after Tuesday’s win over Phoenix, specifically how it didn’t feel like a true Finals rematch.

“It’s tough. If you know her personally, it’s tougher. She’s such a sweet and lovable person. And she cares for people. It’s not the same. I didn’t think of it as a Finals rematch. BG’s not here, Diamond is on the other team, Diana is in the locker room. So you don’t feel the same.”

Courtney Vandersloot also emphasized the impact of Griner’s absence.

“It didn’t feel right out there without her,” Vandersloot said. “She’s a huge focal point, an All-Star and an Olympian in this league. We need people that make decisions to bring her home. It’s been 100 days … people need to step up and bring her home.”

Technically Yours

The Phoenix Mercury sans Griner, and eventually Diana Taurasi (we’ll get to that in a second) were missing a strong front-court presence on Tuesday. The Mercury’s offense was subsidized greatly by Tina Charles, with a team-leading 25 points. Skylar Diggins-Smith, and our old friend Diamond DeShields also put up points in double figures.

Taurasi was shortly ejected with 3:43 left in the second quarter after arguing with referees on a no-call. The Mercury retaliated after Taurasi’s ejection by scoring 31 points in the third quarter and shooting 72 percent from the floor, effectively turning the tables.

Mercury Retrograde

Despite Phoenix’s hearty rally, the Sky were able to overcome the Mercury led by Vandersloot, who erupted with 12 points in the fourth quarter.

“Today it was attacking switches,” Vandersloot told reporters on Tuesday night. “It’s not like that every game. It’s adjusting last minute, and the ball was in my hands a lot. Just making plays down the stretch.”

Vandersloot made one of two free throw attempts with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter for a 72-70 lead.

“It’s about making the plays that we practice and talk about,” she said. “We know that the ball is going to be in my or Candace’s hands, it’s some kind of pick and roll. Mitigate the offense and attack it.”

Candace Parker shot 2-for-9 from the field, scoring five points, a departure from the triple-double performance she put up on May 22 against the Mystics.

“It was an off day,” Wade said of Parker. “She still led us in rebounds (11) and made some winning plays.”

Rebekah Gardner also scored 10 points off the bench.

“I’m always trying to do something,” Gardner told reporters after the game. “The fans already give you a lot of energy. The atmosphere is great, and I was trying to keep my focus and close the game.”

A-Town, downed

The Sky followed Tuesday’s win with a 73-65 road win over the Atlanta Dream at the Gateway Center in a Commissioner’s Cup game.

In what was probably an interesting postgame conversation, Vandersloot passed teammate and wife Allie Quigley to become the Chicago Sky’s franchise leader in scoring. They both entered Friday’s game tied with 3,389 points each. 

The Sky held a commanding lead for most of the contest, at one point holding a 20-point lead. The switch flipped, however, in the third quarter at the hands of Erica Wheeler. She made a jump shot to pull the Dream ahead for the first time in the game. The Sky managed to prevail due to Gardner’s four points in the fourth quarter, along with Parker and Kahleah Copper going to the line. Copper scored a season-high 21 points in the contest.

Defense has been a cornerstone of the Sky’s gameplay, as they held the Phoenix Mercury to shooting 40 percent from the field in Tuesday’s game.

On Friday, the Sky held the Dream to shooting just 34.7 percent from the field.

“We’re still trying to find our defensive identity,” Wade said on Tuesday night. “We held this team to 40 percent. We’re better when we don’t send teams to the free-throw line.” Atlanta made 8 out of 10 free throw attempts, while the Sky made 16 of 20. 

The Sky have now won their last two games with 73 points scored, respectively.

“Defense won us this game,” Vandersloot said after beating Phoenix. “You’re not going to win many games with 73 points.”

Yet Another Revenge Game

Remember the other CP –  The Sky drafted Cheyenne Parker with the fifth pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. She finally played her first game against the Chicago Sky on Friday, after six seasons with the Sky from 2015-20. Parker put up 19 points and was the Dream’s top scorer and shot 8 for 12 from the field. She also led the Dream with six rebounds, and also contributed two steals, and an assist.

A not-so-long anticipated rematch

The Sky end the week with a Sunday night home date against Washington. The Sky faced the Mystics recently on May 22 and won 82-73. The game included a spectacular performance from Candace Parker in which she earned a triple-double.

The Mystics enter the game after suffering a 74-70  loss to the New York Liberty on Friday. 

This game is the return of the double revenge game. Former Sky star Elena Delle Donne is currently Washington’s team leader in points per game (17.5) and field goal percentage (49.1%). Meanwhile, Emma Meesseman played seven seasons for the Mystics before she was acquired by the Sky in the 2021 offseason.

Tipoff at Wintrust Arena will be at 5 p.m. CT, and will be aired on Amazon Prime, Marquee Sports Network and Monumental Sports Network. 

The temperatures are heating up, which means Chicago is about to do the thing it does best: Summer. Yet some traditions are better than others. Join Kevin Kaduk, Herb Lawrence, Vinnie Duber and Luis Medina of Bleacher Nation Bears as they talk about Chicago summer favorites and whether they’re overrated, underrated or properly rated.

Also on the show: We check in with both baseball teams at the Memorial Day dividing line and talk about our favorite Bears memories.

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The 33-point victory was the Sky’s best since their 107-75 win again Seattle on August 29, 2021. This game was quite the balm, and a welcome turnaround after their loss to the Los Angeles Sparks in last Friday’s season opener, where the blame was placed on an abundance of turnovers, permissive fouls that led to free throws, and tired players that ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. 

The Sky came ready to win and the Liberty immediately noticed.

“I think their aggressiveness — the hedging, the hedge switching, their length, they rotated well,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “We missed a lot of shots early on and were hesitant. Chicago was ready to play.”

Rebekah Gardner excels in debut

Rebekah Gardner notably made her highly anticipated first start in the WNBA tonight, as a 31-year-old rookie. She finished with 14 points, four rebounds, an assist and two steals on six for nine shooting. 

Gardner made the first basket of the game and looked the part of a seasoned WNBA player just four minutes into the game. A product of the UCLA, Gardner has played overseas during professional career. GM/Head Coach James Wade knew of Gardner’s basketball acumen, and saw her fitting in well on the Sky. 

“I want her to be her,” Wade said in his pregame press conference. “I want her to be comfortable. She’s here, and I think once everyone sees her, they’ll be comfortable with her in a Sky uniform.”

Gardner’s performance was rather impressive, and had an immediate influence throughout the organization.

“14 points? That’s a pretty good debut,” Candace Parker told reporters in the postgame. “Maybe ROY?”

“Are you trying to be the oldest rookie of the year?” asked someone in the presser, and Gardner laughed heartily at the gentle joke. For the 2020–2021 season, Gardner had signed to play with Uni Girona Club de Basquet for the Liga Dia season.  

“This group of girls is the nicest group I’ve ever played with. The girls were welcoming. James was welcoming,” Gardner said.

Sky still not fielding a complete roster

Chemistry was an issue that was brought up in the opener; still yet to arrive are Kahleah Copper and Julie Allemand, who are wrapping up commitments overseas. Allie Quigley missed her second straight game as she recovers from a knee injury.

“It takes time for any tem, but with a lot of moving parts, we’re not going to make excuses,” Parker said. ” More time together is going to help it, and that’s what it was. We had another two practices together. We were trying to thread the needle in game one.” 

New addition Emma Meesseman was named player of the game, with 10 points, four assists, and six rebounds.

“She was really good tonight – the one thing about Emma is that she’s so selfless,” Wade said in postgame comments. “We want her to be more aggressive, but she still had a good game. She passes the ball well. Nine assists in the first two games. She led us in deflections … she does things the right way, and she plays for her teammates. She’s not flashy, but she’s efficient. She’s coachable.”

“It sucks guarding her,” Candace Parker said of Meesseman. “Her IQ…the chemistry is just going to get better. We have a number of quarterbacks capable of making plays.”

Evans stays hot

Dana Evans also had another notably strong performance, after a scorching 24 point career game in the season opener. Evans was 3-of-3 with her three point attempts, and found Parker on an assist that led to a hype post-shot celebration, where Parker grabbed Evans by the waist. Evans finished with 15 points, three assists, and four rebounds.

“I’ve seen her evolution in practice,” Parker said, accompanied by her son, Airr Larry Petrakov Parker.

“Do you agree, Airr?” Parker asked her son, who say happily on her lap.” Airr cooed happily, adding his expert analysis.

“He agrees,” Parker finished.

Franchise records

Gardner scored the first basket of the game at the 9:41 mark of the first quarter, and the Sky never surrendered the lead for the entire game. According to Sky media relations, this is the least amount of points the Sky have given up in franchise history. The previous low was 54 points on July 13, 2011. The key runs were strong throughout the game; the Sky outscored the Liberty 20-8 in the second period to take a 36-17 halftime lead, then the Sky opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run to go take their biggest lead of the game of 28 points, 49-21.

The Liberty shot 33.3 percent from the field for the game, with Han Xu being their top scorer with 10 points The Sky had only seven turnovers after 25 in their season opener versus the Sparks. 

“That was the biggest takeaway from the last game, don’t turn it over, and don’t foul,” Parker summarized.

Up next

The Sky will now embark on a three-game road trip to face Minnesota, Seattle, and Washington respectively; they’ll return home on May 24 to face the Indiana Fever, where they’ll receive some new jewelry – their 2021 championship rings. 

The defending champions? The reigning champions? Semantics aside, (look, the idea of a title defense honestly just sounds cool and strong, okay) the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky open their season tonight at Wintrust Arena.

Sky in four. No Ceiling. Skytown. The probability of running it back is high as they look to bring another title to the city of Chicago. The last WNBA team to win back-to-back championships were the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks. 

We ask a simple question: Why not?

In Case You Missed It (Not Sure How You’d Miss This, But Here You Go Just in Case)

The Sky finished the 2021 regular season with 16 wins and 16 losses. Injuries to Candace Parker, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens affected the team early in the season. A seven-game losing streak was followed by a seven-game winning streak upon Parker’s return. When it came time to enter the postseason, a sixth-seeded Sky team at full health brought enough vim and vigor to win single-elimination games against the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx. The Sky then cruised through the semi-finals, defeating the Connecticut Sun three games to one, and then pushed the Phoenix Mercury to win it all in four games (ahem, Sky in four, after all) at home in Chicago. 

Kahleah Copper took the Finals MVP award home, averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the series; she also shot 50 percent from the field, and 36.4 percent from beyond the perimeter. The capricious nature of the WNBA postseason format taught us to never count a six-seed out. (The Sky finished fifth in ESPN’s 2021 power rankings.)

In Case You Missed It (There Is No Offseason Edition)

Departing the Sky in the offseason were Astou Ndour-Fall (she’s sitting the 2022 season out), Stefanie Dolson (she signed with the New York Liberty), and Diamond DeShields (she was traded to the Phoenix Mercury, along with Julie Allemand and a 2023 first round draft pick).

The Sky’s offseason needs were identified as a backup point guard, a power forward, and a center. Lexie Brown did not sign her qualifying offer, and was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks for Li Yueru, a 6-foot-7 center from Changzhi, China. Li most recently played for Inner Mongolia in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Former WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman was signed to complement the Sky’s front court; not to replace Courtney Vandersloot, but rather take some pressure off Sloot when needed. The concept of mentorship is never lost on this team, and being a backup Candace Parker (at least in leadership ideology) could bring Meesseman into another role. Indeed, Meesseman has done a fantastic job of directing young players in camp, and in the preseason games. The Sky also became the first team in WNBA history to sign three finals MVPs in consecutive seasons; Parker and Copper are the other two.

Azurá Stevens and Ruthy Hebard are expected to step into a bigger role given Stefanie Dolson’s departure, as “Big Mama Stef” was one the Sky’s top defenders. 

The Los Angeles Sparks — What’s at Stake?

This is a “double revenge” game for both sides. Candace Parker faces her former team for the first time, since signing with the Sky in the 2020-2021 offseason. She missed last year’s matchup with the Sparks due to missing seven games due to an ankle injury. (The Sky lost all seven games she missed.) Lexie Brown faces the Chicago Sky for the first time since being traded to the Sparks in exchange for the rights to center Li Yueru, on March 30. 

Head coach James Wade at the Equal Play event on Thursday hosted by Annie Costabile and the Sun Times announced that the Sky’s game starters will be Dana Evans, Vandersloot, Stevens, Meesseman, and Parker.

What’s The Roster Looking Like?

The Sky’s 11-player roster is pretty much set. Training camp began on April 17, with a league-high 19 players on the roster. With limited roster space and a salary cap that adds a complex variable, camp is highly competitive — and brutal, with talented players arguably all deserving of a roster spot. The lack of expansion has been a common grievance made by fans, whether that’s extra roster spots, or more franchises in the league.

On Thursday, Masseny Kaba, Kathleen Doyle, and Emmanuelle Tahane were waived. Kaela Davis, Kysre Gondrezick, Tina Krajišnik, Anneli Maley, and Sparkle Taylor were all waived on Wednesday. Lindsey Pulliam, Lexi Held, and Imani McGee-Stafford were waived earlier in camp. Being waived doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t return. They will need to clear waivers before they are resigned to hardship contracts. (A team may apply for hardship contracts when you have players that are injured, or are reporting late from other commitments.)

Kahleah Copper will not be available for tomorrow’s game as she is still finishing overseas commitments. Julie Allemand and Rebekah Gardner are wrapping things up overseas as well. Allie Quigley will be out for Friday’s game due to a knee injury. Li Yueru has just received approval from the Chinese Basketball Association to play in the WNBA; she has a passport and is waiting on a visa, and could arrive in Chicago by June. 

What Else?

Tipoff is 7PM CT; the Sky won’t be receiving their rings here, that will be at the May 24 game versus the Indiana Fever. You may purchase tickets for tonight and the rest of the season, which supports Grow the Game, an organization that fosters engagement and participation in womens’ sports. The game will be televised via NBA TV and Marquee. Chicago, it’s time to reach for the Sky. 

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It’s the last show before the start of the season. The Chicago Sky — your defending WNBA champions, are attempting to become the third team in WNBA history to win back-to-back titles. Janice Scurio and Subria Whitaker talk about Candace Parker and Co. ahead of their Friday night debut against the Los Angeles Sparks.

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