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Katie Lou Samuelson out ‘indefinitely’ with hand injury

By Nicholas Niendorf

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 9: Katie Lou Samuelson #33 of the Chicago Sky and Mercedes Russell #2 of the Seattle Storm jocks for a position during the game on June 9, 2019 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 9: Katie Lou Samuelson #33 of the Chicago Sky and Mercedes Russell #2 of the Seattle Storm jocks for a position during the game on June 9, 2019 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Katie Lou Samuelson, Jamierra Faulkner and Astou Ndour will not play tonight against Phoenix Mercury.

Chicago Sky forward Katie Lou Samuelson is out indefinitely, and will not play against the Phoenix Mercury, after suffering a hand injury in the Sky’s game against the Seattle Storm. Sky guard Jamierra Faulkner, who is recovering from a knee injury and has not yet played this season, will also be out, as will Astou Ndour, who is playing overseasons.

Samuelson played in the last two games after receiving a DNP-Coach’s Decision in the Sky’s first game against the Storm. The fourth pick in the 2019 WNBA draft looked more in sync on offense during her seven minutes of playtime in Chicago’s latest game, and she notched her first points in Wintrust Arena.

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Without Samuelson and with the continued absence of Faulkner and Ndour, Sky head coach James Wade will look to the rest of his bench to step up. While rookie guard Chloe Jackson could fill in for Samuelson, minutes distribution will depend on Wade’s rotations.

Samuelson played most of her minutes against the Storm at the four spot, so Wade might look more to the team’s bigs to make up the differential. Stefanie Dolson and Jantel Lavender both played less than 26 minutes against the Storm, and the bench duo of Kahleah Copper and Cheyenne Parker could withstand a minutes bump.

Wade has recently gone to forward Gabby Williams for backup guard minutes, and could simply expand her role tonight. Whether a minutes increase would come at the guard or forward spot remains to be seen.

The Sky play the Mercury tonight at 8 p.m. Central Time at Wintrust Arena.

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