The season is far from over, but the Chicago Sky dug themselves a 4-11 hole that will be very difficult to climb out of. So far, it seems much more likely that the Sky will miss the playoffs than that they will turn things around and go on a run to close out the season. Even when they have leads or are in games late, they can’t close things out. They have now lost an overtime game to the Fever and suffered back-to-back one-point losses to the Liberty and Wings in the last three games.
The organization didn’t give up two lottery picks, trade Angel Reese, give the Mystics the right to swap 2027 first-round picks, and send them a 2028 first-round pick to be one of the worst teams in the WNBA for the third year in a row. Skylar Diggins, Natasha Cloud, and Azura Stevens didn’t come to Chicago to lose.
And yet, here we are. The team hasn’t won a game since early June(an 85-80 win against the league-worst Connecticut Sun), Tyler Marsh and Jeff Pagliocca should not consider their jobs secure in any way, Diggins is visibly frustrated with the team, and the franchise has nothing to show for its many win-now moves.
Angel Reese, who is thriving in Atlanta, is a clear winner in this situation, and so are the Mystics because they control two of the Sky’s next first-round picks. The only person involved with the Sky organization who can be considered a winner amid the disastrous start is Sydney Taylor.
Sydney Taylor got a chance to showcase her talent
Taylor went undrafted in 2024 after playing her college ball at UMass and Louisville. She played in Lithuania and Poland before signing a training camp contract with the Sky this year. Taylor made the opening day roster, beating out players like Tonie Morgan, Latasha Lattimore, Hailey Van Lith, Maddy Westbeld, and Aicha Coulibaly for one of the final 12 roster spots.
While making the roster was a huge accomplishment, Taylor wasn’t supposed to play a significant role. Even with Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington out, the Sky still have plenty of perimeter depth between Diggins, Cloud, Gabriela Jaquez, and Jacy Sheldon.
15 games later, Taylor has started two consecutive games, scored 30, 24, and 18 points in the last three contests, and is the Sky’s second-leading scorer for June.
Injuries and a desperate need for anyone to give the team a spark have finally given Taylor an opportunity to prove herself in the WNBA, and she has responded. Her breakout has been the only real bright spot in the Sky’s season.
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