Chicago Sky HC Makes Dissatisfaction Clear Amid 1–10 WNBA Collapse in Angel Reese’s Absence

While Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are fierce rivals, they share this one thing in common. The injuries to both have been mismanaged this season. Clark missed the preseason game with “just a little tightness,” but soon that turned into a left quadriceps strain. Then her body said, “Let’s change things up,” and that’s when she suffered the right groin injury. 

The same could be said about Reese, as after missing a couple of games through a back issue, she came back against the Washington Mystics but reinjured her back yet again. “Kind of continued. You know her back tightened up after the Washington game.” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said before their match against the Golden State Valkyries. And without her, the team has been a mess, more than they are with her. Against the Phoenix Mercury, they let slip a 6-point first-quarter lead to eventually lose by a 16-point margin in their 10th loss without Angel Reese. They couldn’t find any motivation with Reese out as they plummeted after a promising quarter, and Coach Marsh explained why. 

Marsh told the media after the game, “I thought they just, um, I thought their biggest adjustment was pushing it in transition, just putting their heads down and getting down there, leaking out a little bit so they can get out in transition. And just killed us in transition today. And, uh, it wasn’t, um, due to our turnovers tonight. Tonight was more of our shot selection, and uh, we were just a little slow getting back in transition.”

Turnovers have been a central issue when it comes to the Chicago Sky, as they have the most in the entire league with 17.0 per game. That is 1.1 more than the next worst squad, while Angel Reese was considered one of the major reasons why, as she has 3.9 per game, the others are no better. The issue persists even without Reese in the lineup, as they had 12  against the Mercury, conceding 13 points in the process. That is below their average, and they held on to the ball better than usual. Like Marsh said, they were too slow coming back on defense, conceding a whopping 30 fastbreak points, which is more than one-third of the entire points tally. While they have repaired a leak in their defense, another one has worsened, and Marsh further explained how they plan to stop the bleeding.  

He said, “It’s also not letting one mistake lead to multiple mistakes. So, the intentionality is not letting a turnover or a bad shot affect us, our ability to get back in transition, or you know, not letting our miss shots dictate what the next possession happens on the offensive standpoint. So, we’ve got to be better in that area.”

The Sky can’t handle the pace. That is a proven truth, conceding 14.1 fastbreak points per game, which is the worst in the league, but it was accentuated against the Mercury as they conceded more than double their average. It was already a given that this Sky defense was going to struggle against the Mercury, who are among the fastest teams in the league with 96.91 possessions per 40 minutes. That only ranks behind the Sparks and the Liberty, making them a formidable threat. Pairing up with this, their efficiency is down in the dumps with a field goal percentage of 41.8%. That number looks even worse when you consider they like to score from the paint, as 45% of their points come from there. This combination is harmful for the Sky in the long run, and Marsh needs to find a solution, fast. 

Chicago Sky Could Learn A Thing Or Two From Dallas Wings

The Sky held high hopes for the 2025 season. “It left a bad taste in my mouth to not make the playoffs last season,” Reese said before the season began. “I love winning and want to win.” Unfortunately, that hasn’t translated on the court as this has been more a repeat of their 2024 season than an improvement. On top of that, they had to undergo one injury crisis after another, and they rarely had all of their best players fully fit this season. It has meant the team has slipped to an 8-21 record with a 0.1% chance to qualify for the playoffs, according to the ESPN playoff predictor.

With playoffs already out of reach, they can shift their strategy to match the Dallas Wings. They recently traded DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx for young forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson, and a 2027 second-round draft pick. Samuelson will not play any further part this season because of her left foot injury, so it’s more of a bet on the next season rather than immediate success. The Wings have also been giving their rookies more playing time in recent weeks, as Aziaha James is getting more relevance along with JJ Quinerly. Li Yeuru has impressed ever since joining, and Paige Bueckers has been among the best guards in the league. That forms a formidable young core for the future. 

On the other hand, the Chicago Sky had a different approach in the offseason. They traded the 2025 No.2 Draft Pick for veteran Ariel Atkins. That pick turned out to be Sonia Citron, one of the breakout stars of this season. It might not be too late to change that approach and trade one of their veterans, which might not be in their plans for youngsters and future draft picks. The name of Ariel Atkins is swirling around in the rumour mills while USA Today noted Rachel Benham could be traded to Atlanta for guard Maya Caldwell and forward Taylor Thierry and a 2026 second-round pick. Arike Ogunbowale and Kate Martin could also be potential targets for the Sky. 

The hardest thing to swallow is to accept your mistakes, and that is exactly what Sky needs to do now. A more long-term approach, while adding variety to the offense, could be the way to go. The rest of the season is to form a proper base for the next, and with a free agency flurry coming, they could add some veterans in the off-season while loading a youngster or two in an in-season trade.