On Thursday, the WNBA returns to active sport after the Olympic break and now needs five weeks to reach the playoffs.
For the Sky – a team with a 10-14 record and a slim lead over the eighth and final playoff spot – there will be little room for error in the remaining 16 games. However, following Marina Mabrey’s transfer request, the Sky’s expectations and their reality may not align.
Mabrey was the Sky’s only consistent three-pointer in the first 24 games of the season. Guard Rachel Banham, forward Michaela Onyenwere and guard Dana Evans are nominated to replace her in the starting lineup.
“We’ll take our time with that,” said Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon. “It’s basically a two-week camp where we’ll have the opportunity to properly assess the situation. Then the position will be filled.”
During the first week of Sky’s second training camp, Onyenwere made the majority of appearances with the starting line-up during the media-accessible portion of training. Evans was also used, replacing Onyenwere and Carter at various times during training.
Before the Sky’s 93-85 win over the Aces on July 16, Evans expressed dissatisfaction with her declining playing time, telling the Sun-Times she wasn’t sure the coaching staff saw her as a player who could take her game to the next level in Chicago. According to multiple league sources, Evans’ name was mentioned in several transfer scenarios, but those discussions have since cooled off.
With Mabrey in Connecticut, the likelihood of Evans being traded before the Aug. 20 deadline has dropped dramatically. But the question of how Weatherspoon will use Evans remains. After her demotion, Evans played less than 10 minutes in five of the 11 games in which she came off the bench.
The trade of Mabrey has only left more space in the Skys’ backcourt, with the addition of Banham and guard Moriah Jefferson. Jefferson, however, is working on her recovery from a right ankle injury. She said she expects to be ready to play by Aug. 15, but is not yet cleared for contact.
The permanent roles belong to guards Lindsay Allen and Chennedy Carter and the Skys’ frontcourt rookie duo, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
“She gives us the stability we need,” Reese said of Allen. “She’s like our head coach on the field. Her consistency as a leader is important.”
The first five games after returning will show whether the Sky’s slightly revamped roster is capable of maintaining the playoff position they secured in their first 24 games. They will face the Mercury, Sparks, Aces and Sun twice within the first 10 days of returning.
This time of year, the top tier starts to break down and the bottom tier closes the gap in the playoff race. At the moment, the Sky are three games ahead of the Dream and four ahead of the Sparks, Mystics and Wings. One advantage for the Sky is the fact that all four teams below them in the table have a more difficult remaining schedule.
“As a team, our goal is to continue to be consistent and pick up where we left off,” Reese said. “We finished well in Vegas. I think we definitely set the tone in rebounding to play hard.”
The Sky currently lead the league in rebounds per game with an average of 36.8.
Their team defense has been where they’ve shown their prowess this season. They average the third-most steals in the league, making them the third-best team in the league in fast break points.
However, their offense in their own half is not yet perfect. The Skys defense has had problems with passes to Reese and Cardoso all season. To make matters worse, the Skys’ newcomers are still learning how to finish despite physical contact.
Both Cardoso and Reese said they spent a lot of time working on their finishing power at the basket.
“The first half was pretty decent,” Cardoso said. “But honestly, that’s in the past now. I’m more focused on finishing, being stronger and more aggressive, getting more rebounds and just being out there with my teammates and doing whatever it takes to win.”
