So far, the 2025 season is not going well for the Chicago Sky. The team has only won two games and currently sits in eleventh place ahead of only the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings. On top of that, Courtney Vandersloot suffered a torn ACL, almost certainly eliminating the team’s chances to bounce back and chase a playoff spot.
Not even tanking for a high draft pick has any real value to the Sky because the Minnesota Lynx own the right to swap first-round picks with Chicago in the 2026 WNBA Draft. So, the one thing Sky fans can realistically look forward to this season is the development of Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and Hailey Van Lith.
Candace Parker, for one, believes that Reese particularly is in the right situation to make the necessary improvements to help carry the Sky to more success in the future.
“I think that she has the correct coach for her. Tyler Marsh is one of the best coaches I have ever played for,” Parker said when she appeared on Spolitics with Jemele Hill. “He’s the most knowledgeable person. He’s a great skill developer. I mean, he almost single-handedly turned Jackie Young’s shot into what it is.”
Angel Reese needs to make some drastic improvements
Like most of her team, Angel Reese has struggled this season. Over seven games, she is averaging 9.1 points on 30.9 percent shooting from the field, 12.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 28.7 minutes.
Her inefficiency is the most concerning aspect of her season. Reese had a successful rookie season, but it quickly became clear that she had to improve her scoring around the basket. That hasn’t happened so far.
In fact, Reese’s field goal percentage is even worse than last season. She has only shot more than 35 percent from the field once this season and is only making 32.2 percent of her 8.4 attempts within five feet of the basket—by far the worst mark among players getting a lot of shots close to the basket.
That needs to improve for Reese to reach her full potential in the WNBA, and Tyler Marsh should make her development, alongside Kamilla Cardoso and Hailey Van Lith, a priority this season. Seeing the young trio improve significantly would be a bright spot for Sky fans, and Candace Parker’s confidence in Marsh’s ability to accomplish that offers a silver lining to the Sky’s struggles.
Tyler Marsh had a successful stint with the Las Vegas Aces
Before taking over as the Chicago Sky’s new head coach, Tyler Marsh was an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces. He found a lot of success on Becky Hammon’s coaching staff, winning two WNBA championships and turning Jackie Young into a 3-point threat.
When Young came into the league, she was not a 3-point shooter. Over her first three seasons, she never attempted more than 1.3 threes per year and never shot better than 31.8 percent from long range. Then, the Aces hired Marsh, who worked with Young, and she shot 43.1 percent on 3.4 attempts in her fourth season. She has been a consistent threat from behind the arc ever since.
If Marsh can bring that same level of skill development to the Sky, the team’s future will be bright, even after a bleak start to the 2025 season.