Your Day in Women’s Basketball, July 25: Understanding the WNBA schedule

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 27: Sylvia Fowles #34 of Team Wilson is introduced before the WNBA All-Star Game 2019 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 27, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Team Wilson defeated Team Delle Donne 129-126. 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 27: Sylvia Fowles #34 of Team Wilson is introduced before the WNBA All-Star Game 2019 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 27, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Team Wilson defeated Team Delle Donne 129-126. 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. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Breaking down a season of schedule changes and imminent milestones

The Next’s Alex Simon broke down the most important changes to the upcoming bubble schedule, which by the way, looks cleaner than any season before it. Players and fans will enjoy the simplicity of the round-robin-style season, and a padded rest schedule will help the teams who are still shaking off the rust.

It’s only a matter of time before the Lynx’s Sylvia Fowles usurps Rebekkah Brunson as the league’s all-time top rebounder. In addition to Fowles’ imminent milestone, she and several other veterans and have the chance to etch their names in the history books.

The Fever’s ever-steady Candice Dupree is hoping to become the league’s fourth-ever member of the exclusive 6,000 point/3,000 rebound club. Courtney Vandersloot is also up to potentially break a record of her own for Chicago, after setting the assists per game record in 2018 and then breaking that record in 2019.

Ace’s veteran Angel McCoughtry also has the chance to prove herself and move up a number of leaderboards after a season away from the game. There’s always something fun to follow in the young league.

More from Chicago Sky

While Jocelyn Willoughby wasn’t the biggest name picked by the Liberty in this year’s draft, she could prove to be the steal of her class, and she’ll have plenty of opportunities to thrive in the Liberty’s everybody-eats system.

“I’ve really enjoyed playing with her,” fellow rookie Sabrina Ionescu said of Willoughby. “I mean whenever we have an opportunity, I try to pick her to get on my team because she’s just a winner.”

There’s so much we’ve come to learn about Willoughby in the bubble, and you can get it all here.

Chicago Sky assistant coach Bridget Pettis told The Next this week about her decision to leave the WNBA and focus on Project Roots, a community gardening project for underserved communities in Arizona. Pettis had doubts about this upcoming season, and will instead focus on social justice.

On the sideline of the NBA’s Spurs-Bucks scrimmage, Becky Hammon served as San Antonio’s head coach with Gregg Popovich taking a back seat. Hammon has also worked as the head coach of the Spurs Summer League teams in previous seasons. And while there are always rumors of her heading to the Knicks to take up a head coaching spot, we hope she lands in a better spot.

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