Once Courtney Vandersloot went down with a season-ending injury and the Sky were left without a real point guard, Hailey Van Lith, the team’s 2025 first-round pick, could have filled a crucial role for the team. She never got the opportunity. Rather than upping Van Lith’s minutes, Marsh handed the playmaking responsibilities over to Ariel Atkins, Rachel Banham, and Angel Reese.
Van Lith’s lack of playing time was met with much surprise. But this offseason, she also never got an opportunity to suit up for any of the eight Unrivaled teams. When teams needed a guard from the development pool, coaches chose Aziaha James and Haley Jones over Van Lith.
Van Lith’s lack of opportunity in Unrivaled might not even be an indicator of her talent and potential. Coaches probably just felt safer calling up James and Jones once they had played well in their first opportunities rather than taking a gamble on someone who hadn’t played yet.
Still, Van Lith’s struggles to carve out a role for herself so far pose two questions the Sky cannot ignore: If Tyler Marsh isn’t the only coach who doesn’t believe that Van Lith is ready to contribute to winning basketball, was the front office wrong to draft her in the first round? Would it be in everyone’s best interest if the Sky moved on?
Hailey Van Lith’s opportunities were limited in her rookie season
Van Lith only played in 29 games for the Sky in her rookie season. She averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in just over 12 minutes per game. She only played 15 or more minutes in 12 games despite the Sky’s abysmal record.
Chicago was desperate to win this past season, but accumulated a 10-34 record, which had them finish twelfth in the standings. A losing season and little hope of a successful turnaround usually create ample opportunities for rookies to play and work through mistakes.
Van Lith’s path to a bigger role is already in sight
Van Lith may not be with the Sky much longer, depending on who they choose to protect in the expansion draft for the Tempo and Fire. Teams are expected to be allowed to protect five players. For the Sky, four of those players basically pick themselves. They will protect Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the two young centerpieces of the Sky’s rebuild, Ariel Atkins, who cost them the lottery pick that became Sonia Citron, and Ajša Sivka, their other first-round pick in last year’s draft.
Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld are both reasonable choices for the fifth spot. They are both still on rookie contracts, which will be a valuable commodity in the expansion draft. The question is just which player the front office and coaching staff believe has more of a future with the Sky. Westbeld’s minutes were limited to start the season, but her role grew after the All-Star break and she led the team in scoring in the final game of the season—a 91-86 loss to the Liberty.
Leaving Van Lith unprotected may be best for both sides. If she is selected by the Fire or Tempo, she could get a bigger role and play for a team with less pressure to win. The Sky could pivot to a point guard Marsh trusts to play significant minutes.