After starting each of the Chicago Sky’s first 19 games of the season, it already felt like Skylar Diggins had cemented her place in the team’s starting lineup. But with Courtney Vandersloot recovering from a long-term ACL injury, no player in Chicago’s starting backcourt could really afford to feel too comfortable. It always seemed likely that whenever Vandersloot eventually made her return, she would walk straight back into the starting unit, especially because whatever the Sky had going before her return wasn’t producing results.

Well, Vandersloot is finally back with the Chicago Sky, and after spending her first two games coming off the bench, head coach Tyler Marsh has decided to restore her to the starting lineup. And who is the sacrificial lamb? Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins. For WNBA analyst Zena Keita, though, that’s simply the reality of the situation because it has always been Courtney Vandersloot’s team to walk right back into.

“When it comes to Sloot, it’s like it’s her team,” Keita said on Tuesday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast. “Like, let’s just be real. It’s Sloot’s team and it was always going to be Sloot’s team when she came back. Now the question was how does Natasha Cloud and how do Skylar Diggins fit into that conversation.”

The way Keita sees it, a healthy Courtney Vandersloot already owns a place in the Chicago Sky’s starting lineup. The decision of who is relegated to the bench then falls on Skylar Diggins, Natasha Cloud, or Sydney Taylor. As it turned out, Marsh opted for Diggins. And that was a decision the veteran guard seemed unhappy with.

She, in fact, took to her Instagram Stories on Monday, a day before the Sky’s clash against the Phoenix Mercury, to voice what seems to be frustration with the move.

“Now I’m coming off the bench?????? Cool.” She then followed that up with a video that appeared to reference the decision. “And the crazy part about it all is that I’ve been so quiet. I’ve been so good and quiet,” Skylar Diggins said in the video.

However, in an interview she also gave ahead of the Phoenix game during the team’s shootaround, Diggins appeared to have come to terms with the decision, even if she was disappointed by it.

“I’ve been putting my body on the line all year for this team,” she said. “I’ve done everything that’s been asked of me. And i’ve been great professionally, that’s the decision that’s made, and I gotta live with that.”

Head coach Tyler Marsh also came out to explain his decision during his pregame interview before facing the Mercury. For him, he made the decision because he felt the team needed a change to rediscover its winning form, despite how difficult the call was.

“Yeah. It’s something that we or that I felt was necessary for now,” Marsh said. “We’ll see what it looks like moving forward. I think that when you’re trying to find some rhythm, you got to make some adjustments at times somewhere and that comes with making some tough decisions at times.”

For the most part, Keita seemed to agree with Marsh’s choice of Skylar Diggins being the benched player for Courtney Vandersloot’s return to the starting lineup. Even though she’s averaging 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, according to Keita, Diggins simply hasn’t been consistent enough as a scorer, while Marsh wasn’t about to take Sydney Taylor out of the lineup after the impressive performances she has put together as a rookie.

“Sydney Taylor has kind of cemented her role because she’s capable of going off offensively and they need that offensive scoring power from a guard perspective,” Keita said. “So this is going to be very interesting if Skylar Diggins can prove herself to be more of a consistent scorer. I feel like Tyler Marsh will be forced to move Sydney Taylor back to the bench role that she had.”

Right now, though, even Diggins’ attempt to take over the starting role from Taylor is on hold. Just about 90 minutes before Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury, Skylar Diggins was abruptly ruled out with a right knee injury. The hope is that she returns for Chicago’s next game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

What’s the Latest Update on Skylar Diggins’ Injury?

The Skylar Diggins knee injury quite literally came out of nowhere, ending any expectation that she would even come off the bench in Tuesday night’s 77-66 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Even more surprising, the Chicago Sky front office has remained silent on the situation. And head coach Tyler Marsh has not provided any specific details regarding either the severity or the medical nature of the injury.

Of course, Diggins does have a history of knee issues. She underwent knee surgery back in October. However, she had started all 19 of Chicago’s games during the 2026 season prior to Tuesday night’s contest, and there had been no notable concerns regarding her knee throughout that stretch.

To a large extent, the manner in which the injury surfaced has understandably sparked skepticism among some fans and analysts. Since Diggins’ ruling out was immediately after publicly expressing her frustration, there has been speculation that the injury designation was simply a way to keep her out of the lineup entirely amid tensions that may have been building between her and coach Marsh.

Hopefully, that does not turn out to be the case. And if there is indeed an injury, hopefully it is not a serious one. Whether she’s coming off the bench or starting, Skylar Diggins remains a valuable asset to this Chicago Sky team, which continues to struggle to put together consistent wins.