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[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 WNBA Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
The Chicago Sky could not have asked for a much better rookie campaign from Angel Reese. Selected seventh overall out of LSU, she quickly established herself as one of the best forwards in the WNBA, averaging a double-double that included a league-leading 13.1 rebounds per game. In fact, the only real downside was the fact that she missed the final few games with a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, she was one of the only bright spots for this squad, which finished 13-27 and ranked next-to-last in the league in points per game. The Sky also parted ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one year at the helm — a move that Reese publicly opposed.
The Sky enter the season with former Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh at the helm and a handful of veteran guards acquired in the offseason to build around their young star. Among those additions, two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot returns to the Sky after winning a title in New York last season.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings
Ariel Atkins, Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse should also bring valuable experience to the team, which lost three of its best guards in Chennedy Carter, Marina Mabrey and Lindsay Allen. The newcomers join Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson, who primarily came off the bench.
The frontcourt will look pretty much the same in 2025 with Kamilla Cardoso, Michaela Onyenwere and Elizabeth Williams playing alongside Reese. Expect Cardoso to start at center, with Onyenwere playing in a smaller starting lineup or Williams adding size as another center option at 6-foot-3 when they play a three-guard lineup.
Angel Reese brings the ball upcourt during the Chicago Sky’s game against the Indiana Fever in Chicago on Aug. 30, 2024.Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Outside of Williams, an 11th-year player out of Duke, Chicago has a shockingly young frontcourt. That helps explain why the Sky were so aggressive in going after veteran guards this offseason. Reese and Cardoso are both entering their sophomore seasons, and Onyenwre has played only four years.
Still, that inexperience did not stop Reese or Cardoso from making a difference for the Sky in Year 1. They started a combined 63 of 80 games, with Cardoso also missing some time due to a shoulder injury. If they can stay healthy this year, the second-year players are primed to become one of the league’s best duos, with plenty of opportunity to blaze their own trails in Chicago.
Outside of those two, the rotation is a little thin, which means that the Sky might opt for a three-guard lineup most of the year. When they do decide to size up, or if they end up in foul trouble, look for Onyenwere and Williams to switch off depending on the matchup. That will also depend on how smoothly Williams returns from knee surgery. Williams was playing well before the injury, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds in nine starts.
Sky center Kamilla Cardoso looks up at the score during her team's game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 16, 2024.Jacob Musselman / For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Since the day he took the job, Marsh has talked about improving the offense in Chicago. A similar mission proved successful with the Aces, who led the league in points per game a year ago.
That starts with Vandersloot, a skilled passer and playmaker who ranks second in WNBA history in regular-season assists. Though her stats dropped significantly last season, and she missed time on personal leave, Vandersloot still dished 149 assists and ranked 10th in assists per game (4.8). The five-time All-Star and Chicago legend may benefit from moving home, where she has played some of her best ball.
Atkins is another exciting addition after playing the previous seven seasons with the Washington Mystics. She will be particularly valuable on the defensive side of the ball, where she ranks sixth among active players in steal percentage at 2.7. She snagged a career-high 59 a year ago, which landed her in the league’s top 10.
The third member of that highly anticipated incoming guard group, Allen is coming off a high-grade hamstring injury that kept her out of the postseason in Phoenix last season. Sustained during a pre-Olympics exhibition, the injury also kept her out of the Games, where she was set to play with Australia. Prior to the injury, Allen was enjoying one of her best statistical seasons with 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Both marks were the second-best in her career, and her 24.8 minutes per game were a career-high.
Given the options ahead of her, Nurse will likely come off the bench. Nurse, who hasn’t been quite the same since her 2022 ACL surgery, spent last season with the Los Angeles Sparks, averaging 7.6 points in 20.3 minutes per game. If she can find her shot, she is a real threat from distance, ranking in the top 10 twice for 3-pointers per game.
Returners Banham and Jefferson will need to impress the new coaching staff to keep their minutes, but both bring a little something different to the Sky lineup.
Courtney Vandersloot returns to the Sky after spending the past two seasons with the New York Liberty.Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Chicago Sky will be an interesting rebuilding experiment under Marsh, but they should be fun to watch as they find their footing. The group of guards he’s brought in should help to jump-start the offense and provide valuable experience with multiple WNBA titles among them.
Again, expect this offense to flow through Reese. She has shown that she is not afraid to battle in the paint or step out a few feet and hit a mid-range jumper. As the league leader in offensive rebounds, Reese also can help extend plays and give the Sky multiple chances to score, which is important when your team has one of the league’s worst shooting percentages.
As for Marsh, it will be interesting to see how inventive he gets on what appears to be a pretty short rope as the fourth head coach in three years for a team in a two-year playoff drought. He is one of a handful of brand new head coaches joining the league, making another intriguing storyline as the WNBA begins its next expansion period.
Player to Coach: Former Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright has joined Tyler Marsh’s staff as an assistant coach after leading the Dream to back-to-back playoff appearances the past two seasons. The 2022 AP Coach of the Year, Wright should be a great resource for Marsh. She is also one of two former WNBA players on the coaching staff, joining Courtney Paris. Wright played 14 years and won a championship with the Seattle Storm in 2010. Paris also won a title with Seattle, in 2018.
Unrivaled Barbie? The Bayou-turned-Chicago Barbie, Angel Reese added Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year to her growing list of accolades. Playing for Rose BC, Reese led the three-on-three league with 12.2 rebounds per game and led her team in blocked shots. Rose went on to win the Unrivaled championship.
History-maker: Sky assistant Rena Wakama led the Nigerian women’s national team to the Olympic quarterfinals in 2024, the first time a men’s or women’s African team advanced out of the group stage. She also made history as the first female coach to win a Women’s AfroBasket title. Wakama played collegiately at Western Carolina. Later, she was director of basketball operations and an assistant coach at Manhattan College and then at Stony Brook. Most recently, she coached at Tulane.
1. Ajša Sivka, F, 6-4, Slovenia
1. Hailey Van Lith, G, 5-9, TCU
2. Maddy Westbeld, F, 6-3, Notre Dame
2. Aicha Coulibaly, G, 6-0, Texas A&M
Analysis: After a roller-coaster collegiate career, Hailey Van Lith finally heard her name called at the WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. Van Lith reunites with former LSU teammate Angel Reese, who shared her excitement on social media. At 5-foot-9, Van Lith fits right in with veterans Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, who can offer her valuable guidance. With its first pick of the night, Chicago selected Ajša Sivka of Slovenia. She is another young international talent who is only 19, having played in the FIBA U17 World Cup and EuroBasket. She is an intriguing option in the post alongside Kamilla Cardoso and Reese, bringing an ability to stretch the floor with a 35.6% average beyond the arc.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings
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The Chicago Sky could not have asked for a much better rookie campaign from Angel Reese. Selected seventh overall out of LSU, she quickly established herself as one of the best forwards in the WNBA, averaging a double-double that included a league-leading 13.1 rebounds per game. In fact, the only real downside was the fact that she missed the final few games with a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, she was one of the only bright spots for this squad, which finished 13-27 and ranked next-to-last in the league in points per game. The Sky also parted ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one year at the helm — a move that Reese publicly opposed.
The Sky enter the season with former Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh at the helm and a handful of veteran guards acquired in the offseason to build around their young star. Among those additions, two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot returns to the Sky after winning a title in New York last season.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings
Ariel Atkins, Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse should also bring valuable experience to the team, which lost three of its best guards in Chennedy Carter, Marina Mabrey and Lindsay Allen. The newcomers join Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson, who primarily came off the bench.
The frontcourt will look pretty much the same in 2025 with Kamilla Cardoso, Michaela Onyenwere and Elizabeth Williams playing alongside Reese. Expect Cardoso to start at center, with Onyenwere playing in a smaller starting lineup or Williams adding size as another center option at 6-foot-3 when they play a three-guard lineup.
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Angel Reese brings the ball upcourt during the Chicago Sky’s game against the Indiana Fever in Chicago on Aug. 30, 2024.Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Frontcourt
Outside of Williams, an 11th-year player out of Duke, Chicago has a shockingly young frontcourt. That helps explain why the Sky were so aggressive in going after veteran guards this offseason. Reese and Cardoso are both entering their sophomore seasons, and Onyenwre has played only four years.
Still, that inexperience did not stop Reese or Cardoso from making a difference for the Sky in Year 1. They started a combined 63 of 80 games, with Cardoso also missing some time due to a shoulder injury. If they can stay healthy this year, the second-year players are primed to become one of the league’s best duos, with plenty of opportunity to blaze their own trails in Chicago.
Outside of those two, the rotation is a little thin, which means that the Sky might opt for a three-guard lineup most of the year. When they do decide to size up, or if they end up in foul trouble, look for Onyenwere and Williams to switch off depending on the matchup. That will also depend on how smoothly Williams returns from knee surgery. Williams was playing well before the injury, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds in nine starts.
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Sky center Kamilla Cardoso looks up at the score during her team's game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 16, 2024.Jacob Musselman / For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Backcourt
Since the day he took the job, Marsh has talked about improving the offense in Chicago. A similar mission proved successful with the Aces, who led the league in points per game a year ago.
That starts with Vandersloot, a skilled passer and playmaker who ranks second in WNBA history in regular-season assists. Though her stats dropped significantly last season, and she missed time on personal leave, Vandersloot still dished 149 assists and ranked 10th in assists per game (4.8). The five-time All-Star and Chicago legend may benefit from moving home, where she has played some of her best ball.
Atkins is another exciting addition after playing the previous seven seasons with the Washington Mystics. She will be particularly valuable on the defensive side of the ball, where she ranks sixth among active players in steal percentage at 2.7. She snagged a career-high 59 a year ago, which landed her in the league’s top 10.
The third member of that highly anticipated incoming guard group, Allen is coming off a high-grade hamstring injury that kept her out of the postseason in Phoenix last season. Sustained during a pre-Olympics exhibition, the injury also kept her out of the Games, where she was set to play with Australia. Prior to the injury, Allen was enjoying one of her best statistical seasons with 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Both marks were the second-best in her career, and her 24.8 minutes per game were a career-high.
Given the options ahead of her, Nurse will likely come off the bench. Nurse, who hasn’t been quite the same since her 2022 ACL surgery, spent last season with the Los Angeles Sparks, averaging 7.6 points in 20.3 minutes per game. If she can find her shot, she is a real threat from distance, ranking in the top 10 twice for 3-pointers per game.
Returners Banham and Jefferson will need to impress the new coaching staff to keep their minutes, but both bring a little something different to the Sky lineup.
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Courtney Vandersloot returns to the Sky after spending the past two seasons with the New York Liberty.Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Final Analysis
The Chicago Sky will be an interesting rebuilding experiment under Marsh, but they should be fun to watch as they find their footing. The group of guards he’s brought in should help to jump-start the offense and provide valuable experience with multiple WNBA titles among them.
Again, expect this offense to flow through Reese. She has shown that she is not afraid to battle in the paint or step out a few feet and hit a mid-range jumper. As the league leader in offensive rebounds, Reese also can help extend plays and give the Sky multiple chances to score, which is important when your team has one of the league’s worst shooting percentages.
As for Marsh, it will be interesting to see how inventive he gets on what appears to be a pretty short rope as the fourth head coach in three years for a team in a two-year playoff drought. He is one of a handful of brand new head coaches joining the league, making another intriguing storyline as the WNBA begins its next expansion period.
Beyond the Arc
Player to Coach: Former Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright has joined Tyler Marsh’s staff as an assistant coach after leading the Dream to back-to-back playoff appearances the past two seasons. The 2022 AP Coach of the Year, Wright should be a great resource for Marsh. She is also one of two former WNBA players on the coaching staff, joining Courtney Paris. Wright played 14 years and won a championship with the Seattle Storm in 2010. Paris also won a title with Seattle, in 2018.
Unrivaled Barbie? The Bayou-turned-Chicago Barbie, Angel Reese added Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year to her growing list of accolades. Playing for Rose BC, Reese led the three-on-three league with 12.2 rebounds per game and led her team in blocked shots. Rose went on to win the Unrivaled championship.
History-maker: Sky assistant Rena Wakama led the Nigerian women’s national team to the Olympic quarterfinals in 2024, the first time a men’s or women’s African team advanced out of the group stage. She also made history as the first female coach to win a Women’s AfroBasket title. Wakama played collegiately at Western Carolina. Later, she was director of basketball operations and an assistant coach at Manhattan College and then at Stony Brook. Most recently, she coached at Tulane.
Draft Recap
1. Ajša Sivka, F, 6-4, Slovenia
1. Hailey Van Lith, G, 5-9, TCU
2. Maddy Westbeld, F, 6-3, Notre Dame
2. Aicha Coulibaly, G, 6-0, Texas A&M
Analysis: After a roller-coaster collegiate career, Hailey Van Lith finally heard her name called at the WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. Van Lith reunites with former LSU teammate Angel Reese, who shared her excitement on social media. At 5-foot-9, Van Lith fits right in with veterans Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, who can offer her valuable guidance. With its first pick of the night, Chicago selected Ajša Sivka of Slovenia. She is another young international talent who is only 19, having played in the FIBA U17 World Cup and EuroBasket. She is an intriguing option in the post alongside Kamilla Cardoso and Reese, bringing an ability to stretch the floor with a 35.6% average beyond the arc.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries | Wings
Related: Athlon Sports 2025 WNBA Preview Magazine Available Now
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Related: Caitlin Clark Is Rested, Ready to Be Her Best After Offseason Recharge
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