When the Chicago Sky entered the season with their squad, no one expected them to be a championship contender. But if they were to eventually become one, steady progress was the bare minimum, right? Yet, whatever hopes existed have been consistently washed away. After all, the Sky’s only three wins so far have come against bottom-ranked teams. Then there’s the case of Angel Reese, who struggled once again, finishing with just nine points. Why she was ranked 13th in the first returns of the All-Star voting? Well, if performances like this continue, few will be able to argue against that.

Amid the team’s troubles, locker room issues have repeatedly been cited. However, both players and the coach have either subtly dismissed those claims or failed to articulate any real insight, often appearing at a loss for words. For instance, after the Sky’s loss to the Mystics, Ariel Atkins was asked what went wrong in the third quarter and “No, that’s what we got to figure out. I don’t have an answer for you… That’s what we got to figure out. We’ll figure that out,” was all she could offer. So, despite head coach Tyler Marsh’s optimistic “light at the end of the tunnel” remark, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the locker room has a long climb ahead to escape its growing miseries. And finally, one player has hinted at that reality, more clearly than anyone else so far.

Chicago Sky player Elizabeth Williams joined her teammate

Michaela Onyenwere in a post-game interview and exposed the locker room woes. A reporter questioned the players in an official franchise video,”Mentally, where are you guys at after just the struggle that’s been these last two to three games? How are you guys trying to stay mentally strong when it’s still only June and there’s a long season ahead?” 

We did witness the Sky roster succumb to the Mercury’s domineering presence within the first half itself with a shocking 31-18 margin. And while the team struggled to find momentum throughout the game, this downplay is gradually turning into the Sky’s identity. So, when Williams gave her two cents on the issue, she did not pull any punches.

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I mean you could say it’s the last three games but it’s been kind of consistent throughout,” Williams answered. “We haven’t played consistently.” While the Sky promised a comeback with flashes of excellence as they clinched a 78-66 victory against the Sun, it was the heavy turnovers and inability to create enough offense that dragged the team back into a slump against the Mystics. “I think the mindset is just to give more to play, harder play, with a greater sense of urgency,” Williams added. “As many games as they are, they do come quick. So, the mentality has to be to be better the next day- to learn from the losses and and grow.“

At this point, everyone is praying that Chicago Sky will learn from their mistakes since they haven’t so far. Let’s start with the threes: for the third time this season, they’ve given up at least 16 of them in a single game. For context, that’s something the rest of the league’s dozen teams have managed to allow just three times combined. But the real sting? Turnovers. The Sky are averaging league-worst of 18.9 of them per game. The team closest to them, the Valkyries, sit at 16.3. In fact, Chicago is flirting with history here – only one team in WNBA history has been worse: the 1999 Mystics, who coughed it up 21.1 times per game. And it doesn’t help when Tyler Marsh tries to defend it, saying, “

For us, it was more preservation at that point and the players were almost at their limit anyway being no a back-to-back“.

Admirable spin, but if the Sky want to preserve anything, it should probably be their grip on the basketball.

Angel Reese & Co. Succumb to Turnovers. Again.

“For me, seven turnovers just can’t happen,” Angel Reese had said, addressing the media in a post-game interview. She committed a total of 7 turnovers against the Washington Mystics. On the other hand, her opponents used the opportunity to their advantage by securing a whopping 40 points off of 25 of Sky’s total turnovers.

Having said that, she urged the roster to come to terms with the errors made during the game. She took accountability for her actions and said, “I mean, I know I’m trying to make great plays and I’m looking for the right pass and I’m trying to believe my guards and then try to get the open pass. I got to be better, and that’s on me. I’m going to take that with the turnovers because they scored 40 points off of our 25 turnovers, and seven of those were mine.”

As Reese struggled to find pace against the Phoenix Mercury, she was careful not to contribute to ball turnovers, her team finished with a glaring total of 21 turnovers. And if this wasn’t enough, Reese contributed with her worst rebounding delivery against the Mercury. She added 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists to revive the losing team.

On the other hand, Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh had a different take on the situation. While he acknowledged the immense mental pressure on the team, he saw the Sky’s latest performance as a blessing in disguise. “Obviously, we want to cut down the turnovers,” Marsh said. “I think when you look at the positives and being able to put 86 on the board with the amount of turnovers that we’ve had, there’s still light at the end of this tunnel from that standpoint.”

As the locker room navigates this slump, the question remains: can they learn from the major blow delivered by the Phoenix Mercury, who practically slapped the daylights out of them? Whatever their strategy may be, one thing is clear – it will be tough for the Sky to reach the playoffs if they can’t string together consecutive wins.