The Chicago Sky are 1-8 without Angel Reese this season after they lost to the Connecticut Sun 62-71. Not exactly shocking, considering the Chi Town Barbie has been the team’s engine — leading in both rebounds and assists all season. With her sidelined for six straight games due to a back injury, the Sky have struggled to stay afloat. But if you ask Coach Marsh, he’s got a very different perspective.

‘‘We’re always going to be in win-now mode,’’ said Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca before the season began in May. ‘‘We had to make some changes. We’re really confident about the group we have, and as long as we’re improving each day — we’ll gauge that internally — the goal is to make the playoffs.” It’s fair to say that coach Marsh hasn’t been able to meet the targets set for him, and not everything is his fault.

The Sky front office did bring in experienced players like Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, and Kia Nurse, but two of them have spent significant time sidelined with injuries. In fact, Vandersloot was ruled out even before the Sky had managed to find its footing. These signings also meant parting ways with Chennedy Carter, their top scorer last season. Naturally, that came with consequences–the Sky rank 12th in the league for points per game, averaging just 75.4. But Tyler Marsh isn’t here to blame it all on the factors out of their hands.

Speaking in the press conference ahead of the game against the Connecticut Sun, the coach emphasized that they shouldn’t use injuries as an excuse. He said, “But every season isn’t going to be smooth sailing, for better or for worse. And so for me and for us, it’s just about how to continue to prepare for that next game and keep the mentality of staying with it. And it can’t—no matter how many we’ve missed from injury—it can’t halt our preparation moving forward. And so we just have to take it day by day and week by week.”

The Sky currently sit 12th in the league with an 8-24 record after a brutal nine-point loss to the Sun, a game that also saw Rebecca Allen and Ariel Atkins ejected. It’s fair to say that any hopes of reaching the playoffs are all but gone. One can’t help but wonder if Sonia Citron might just have been the offensive help they needed. Well, there are several question marks surrounding the decisions made by the front office this season, but none bigger than the uncertainty around Angel Reese’s injury update.

When asked about an injury update on Reese, Marsh revealed, “I leave that to the medical. I think for us, and for Angel, if she’s healthy, she wants to play and we want her to be out there to be able to play. We just don’t want to put her in harm’s way to further any existing injury. And so for us, it’s just making sure that she’s as healthy as possible. That’s always been the most important thing.” It looks like Angel Reese might not suit up for the Sky anymore.

The last time Reese stepped on the court, she recorded her 11th consecutive double-double, putting up 22 points and 13 rebounds in a tough loss to the Mystics. That performance took her season total to a league-high 17 double-doubles and extended her streak to 11 games. She was in the form of her life after a rough start to the season. But now, having missed six straight games and with the Sky having nothing left to play for, is it worth the risk? Even Rachel DeMita shared the same sentiment, saying, “They’re clearly not going to make the playoffs, so I don’t even know if they will bring her back for the rest of the season.”

Coach Marsh’s words suggest they won’t be rushing Reese back with just 12 games remaining. His press conference also made it clear that he doesn’t want to overburden her and is determined to find ways to win despite player injuries. He remains focused on keeping his team prepared for any challenge, regardless of the circumstances. Perhaps in future seasons, we’ll see this approach put to good use.

That said, Angel Reese did hint at a possible return a few days ago. Let’s see what she had to say about it.

Angel Reese hints at a potential return

Angel Reese’s sophomore WNBA season started rough. In her first six games, 44 of her 61 shots came from the restricted area, but she made just 31.8% of them, per CBS Sports. That was the lowest percentage among the top 10 players taking at least five shots there, even though she led the league with 7.3 attempts inside per game. She became an easy target for trolls but she did turn it around and the result is there to be seen.

No one can deny her importance to the team, and while the Sky organization doesn’t want to take any risks with her, the Bayou Barbie may have already hinted at a potential return. A few days ago, she took to X to post a cryptic message that read, “In due time.” No one knows exactly what she meant, but many believe it’s a sign she’ll be back soon.

It remains to be seen whether Angel Reese will complete her rehab and return to play again this season. What does seem certain, however, is that if coach Marsh continues to perform the way he has with the Sky this year, the chances of him staying with Chicago beyond 2026 are next to zero. What are your thoughts on the Chicago Sky’s season?