Despite a rejuvenated patch of form for the Chicago Sky, the franchise suffered its 13th defeat of the 2025 WNBA campaign, losing 79-81 to the Washington Mystics. However, this was not a disastrous performance by any stretch of the imagination, with four of Chicago's five starters recording 10+ points on the night.
Angel Reese continued to justify her recent All-Star Reserves selection with another stunning individual performance, registering 22 points,15 rebounds, and four assists. The rebounding sensation added to her incredible streak of consecutive games with 15+ rebounds, bringing the total to six.
In addition, Elizabeth Williams turned in a defiant performance as she ambitiously looks to retain the starting center role ahead of Brazil's AmeriCup Silver Medalist, Kamilla Cardoso. Even though Cardoso will undoubtedly start every game she is available for the Sky, Williams did her chances no harm by scoring a season-high 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Rookie head coach Tyler Marsh has found a formula for his starting five that is now paying dividends during their minutes in the rotation. It is another excruciating factor that is now hindering the franchise's postseason ambitions: the lack of productivity from the secondary unit.
Bench scoring is none existent for the Sky
As Angel Reese and the starting lineup begin to establish momentum in the absence of legendary playmaker Courtney Vandersloot, the Sky's bench has struggled to make a meaningful impact during their time on the court, resulting in the 2021 WNBA champions losing three of their last four games by five points or less.
Chicago's most recent defeat at the hands of the Mystics amplifies this issue. Marsh's bench unit only managed to register a total of five points on the scoreboard. To make matters worse, the same set of players grabbed just nine rebounds during the fixture, six of which came from Notre Dame graduate Maddy Westbeld.
More worryingly, the Sky's 11th pick of the 2025 WNBA draft, Hailey Van Lith, was only granted around three minutes on the court. After playing a starring role in TCU's fairytale run to the NCAA Elite Eight, many fans expected Van Lith to be the successor to Vandersloot's legacy and provide energetic cameos from the bench. This has not come to fruition, with the rookie averaging four points and 1.3 assists per game during her limited game time.
It is unclear what solutions Marsh could attempt in order to rectify this burning issue. Veteran players such as Michaela Onyenwere and Rebecca Allen are struggling to impose themselves on a game statistically or from a physical standpoint that would at least solidify the team defensively and ride out the minutes in which stars like Angel Reese can replenish their energy.
The Chicago Sky may be in an impossible predicament with this one. If the head coach cannot establish an effective remedy for this problem swiftly, then the franchise may have to pivot on its priorities for the season. However, with the Minnesota Lynx acquiring the Sky's 2026 first-round pick in exchange for the No.11 overall selection in the 2025 draft, it is uncertain what benefits that changing priorities would have for the 'Windy City' franchise. The one bright side is that the Sky have the right to swap picks with the Sun in 2026 and Connecticut is easily the worst team in the league right now.