By Robbie Hodin
The Chicago Sky are a little under halfway through the 2024 WNBA season. In head coach Teresa Weatherspoon’s first year, the Sky have prioritized their play on the boards, the defensive side of the ball and balanced scoring up and down the roster. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the team’s trends through 17 games:
1. Offensive rebounding
Angel Reese is only a rookie, but she’s the cornerstone of the Chicago Sky’s most valuable weapon: offensive rebounding.
The Sky have been attacking the boards with reckless abandon through the first third of the season; they lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (11.5) and are second in offensive rebounding percentage (34.4%).
And Reese is one of the most pivotal pieces the Sky have in this regard. She leads the entire league in offensive boards with a whopping 4.8 per game – which, if held, would be the highest offensive rebounding output during a WNBA season since Yolanda Griffith in 2001. Reese uses her elite strength and athleticism to move bodies around in the paint and create a lane for herself to pick up offensive boards. But most notably, it’s Reese’s desire and competitiveness that allow her to succeed at one of basketball’s most overlooked and under-celebrated skills.
Offensive rebounding and Reese have become synonymous, but don’t forget about the Sky’s other frontcourt contributors.
Through her first nine games of the season, Elizabeth Williams secured 2.8 offensive boards per game, good for third in the league at the time of going down with her injury. Williams leans on her timing and hands to snag rebounds off the rim, but she also has a nose for the ball like her rookie front-court mate. Though she’s out with a knee injury, Williams helped propel the Sky to the top of the league on the boards through the early parts of the season.
Kamilla Cardoso was only able to play three games with Williams and Reese together, but she’s breaking through at the right time in her rookie season.
In only 25.0 minutes per game in her first 11 contests of the season, Cardoso ranks second in the league in offensive rebounding with 3.2 per game. It was already a handful to worry about both Reese and Williams, but opponents now have a 6-foot-7 presence to box out as well.
Even with injuries preventing Cardoso and Williams sharing the court for long at the same time, the Sky still have three players in the top 21 — and two in the top 11 — in total offensive rebounds league-wide.
2. Balanced scoring attack
Rather than relying on two or three players to lead the scoring charge, the Sky have a handful of players who are threats at various different areas of the court.
It starts with Marina Mabrey, who has been one of the team’s leading bucket-getters through 17 games. Her elite three-point shooting – which can be characterized by her lightning-quick release and ability to shoot off both the catch and the dribble – is the foundation of her game and makes her a problem from anywhere on the court.
She’s also averaging a career-high 4.1 assists per game. Her and Elizabeth Williams formed a sustainable pick-and-roll combination that appeared to be a bedrock of the team’s offensive scheme in their first nine games. Mabrey’s ability to space the floor opens up driving lanes for her teammates when she isn’t conducting the offense.
Mabrey’s backcourt partner, Dana Evans, has also had the best offensive season of her career thus far. Her speedy first step allows her to blow by defenders and create for herself and her teammates, and her elite ball-handling ability makes her the Sky’s most reliable offensive initiator.
While Angel Reese (13.3 points per game) and Williams (10.0 points per game) aren’t shooters, they’re fundamental to the Sky’s inside game. Along with Cardoso, the three are solid rollers with post-up abilities.
And then there’s Chennedy Carter, whose name must be mentioned when discussing the Sky’s balanced scoring attack. Beginning the season In a bench role that only provided her 19.9 minutes per game, Carter took advantage of every opportunity she’s gotten and has developed herself into one of the WNBA’s most exciting players.
Carter is a freight train with the ball in her hands; when she’s coming at the defense full-speed, she’s daunting to stay in front of. Her blend of speed, strength and explosiveness is unique, and she pairs it with a really nice handle and feel for the game. She relentlessly attacks the rim and has become one of the most dangerous drivers in the entire league.
Now she’s earned a starting role and is averaging 19.0 points since joining the starting five. She’s also shooting 54.8% during that stretch.
Other than those five, the Sky have various players making contributions along the margins, most importantly in their transition game. The decision to play nine different players over 11.0 minutes per game – with nobody playing more than 34.0 minutes per game – allows the players on the court to play with pace and speed while effectively monitoring their conditioning levels. The Sky are often able to beat teams down the floor as a result of their fresh legs and deep roster construction; they’re fourth in the league in pace and third in fastbreak points, and have a multitude of players that run the court aggressively at all times.
Perhaps the greatest testament to the Sky’s depth is everyone’s willingness to step up when their number is called. Michaela Onyenwere stepped up early in the season in a starting role and helped the team secure a big win over the now-15-3 New York. Diamond DeShields scored a combined 30 points in the team’s first two games of the season and just recently played elite defense against an Indiana team that had won four straight heading into their matchup on June 23.
Brianna Turner — one of the best shot blocking and rebounding bigs of the last few years — has stepped up to play spot minutes when the team needs. Isabelle Harrison worked her way back from an injury and put up 14 points in a June 6 game against Washington.
Meanwhile, Lindsay Allen took over the starting point guard role and is continuing to thrive as a veteran lead guard for the team. She’s fresh off a season-high 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds against Minnesota on June 30.
Struggles at the free throw line – but maybe not for long
There are certainly some areas of improvement for the Sky moving forward, just as there are for any team at this point during the season.
Most notable is the Sky’s struggle at the free-throw line.
The Sky are getting to the hoop at will; they’re leading the WNBA in shots attempted at the rim per game, which is an indication that they have a variety of talented drivers who can blow by their defenders, as well as a host of bigs who can muscle their way into the paint.
Yet despite leading the WNBA in field goals attempted per game in the restricted area, they’re only shooting 75.1% from the free-throw line, tied for the worst mark in the league.
However, while the shots from the line aren’t dropping just yet, the fact that the Sky are getting to the rim at such a high clip is inspiring. Eventually, those shots will begin to fall, especially as Reese and Cardoso continue to develop. Look no further than Reese, who shot 71.2% from the line in her first 10 games (5.9 attempts per game) but is shooting 82.4% on such shots in her last six games (5.7 attempts).
Combine that with the fact that players like Evans are already beginning to assuage these woes (she made all 10 of her free throws on June 20 against Dallas), and you have a recipe for success.