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If anyone thought the adaptation process for this year’s Chicago Sky roster would be seamless, the first seven games have made it clear that was wishful thinking. And, in truth, it should come as no surprise that the opening stretch has come with considerable growing pains. A first-time head coach, six new players, and a complete reset in offensive philosophy would each present a challenge on their own—experiencing all three simultaneously is a tough ask for any team, especially one with such a young core. Add in the extra pressure of a “win-now” offseason trade and the heightened media attention surrounding the Sky’s young frontcourt stars, and it’s easy to see how Chicago has stirred up the perfect cocktail of mixed expectations for what otherwise should be a team in the second year of its rebuild.
If things weren’t complex enough, all four of the Sky’s veteran offseason acquisitions—like most of the league on the doorstep of a landmark new collective bargaining agreement—are on expiring contracts. As the franchise evaluates whether Tyler Marsh’s offensive system is the right fit, those players are simultaneously gauging whether the environment suits them—and vice versa for the organization. With so many moving parts, it’s difficult to assess the Sky’s offense through just seven games; any number of factors could be cited for its uneven production. Toss in a serious injury to veteran floor general Courtney Vandersloot—the player most clearly capable of bringing calm to the offensive storm–and Chicago now has many more questions than answers about its offense.
Still, even this early, the Sky’s first- and second-year players have time on their side to grow into Marsh’s system. The rest of the roster, meanwhile, is just 37 regular-season games away from free agency. So, in an effort to make sense of what’s transpired so far, let’s examine how each of the Sky’s three major veteran additions beyond Vandersloot—pressed by the urgency of a short adaptation window—has been used in Marsh’s system, how they’ve impacted the offense’s overall balance, and how their roles might evolve over the remainder of the season.
Ariel Atkins
Atkins is the obvious place to start because her arrival—at least from an “on-paper” standpoint—fundamentally reshaped the Sky’s expectations for the 2025 season. From the moment the deal was announced, there were legitimate questions about whether the Chicago Sky were accelerating their timeline too aggressively. But there’s no denying that trading the No. 3 overall pick in a strong draft class for an expiring contract signaled a clear shift toward urgency. Now, the weight of that decision falls squarely on Atkins, who’s been tasked with elevating a team that, contextually, might not yet be ready to reach the level her addition suggests it’s aiming for.
Still, Atkins stepped up in the three games Chicago played the week of May 26th, delivering on her end of the bargain after an opening stretch where her limited involvement—and therefore impact—had many questioning her usage. In a narrow loss to Phoenix and a pair of wins over Dallas, she combined to go 22-of -43 from the floor and 8-of-20 from three—upping her attempts per game (14.3) considerably compared to those opening three losses (6.7). Atkins was simply dominant at times in the half-court, and it all started with putting her in positions where she’s most comfortable.
Because while Atkins is a strong shot creator, she’s never been a player who relies heavily on isolation to generate offense. Though those two skills often get lumped together, Atkins exemplifies a player who excels at creating her own shots despite not regularly attacking defenders in one-on-one situations. Accordingly, one clear adjustment for Atkins in those three games—which should define her role in the Chicago Sky offense going forward—has been the increased opportunities to handle the ball and create her own shot off of screens.
Once Atkins gets going in those situations, she puts the defense in difficult spots—like in the fourth clip above—forcing them to decide how to handle the screener rolling to the basket. Given that she’s shooting a respectable 43.5 percent on mid-range pull-ups and 46.2 percent off ball screens in the opening seven games, defenses must respond aggressively. That reaction should create high-quality scoring and playmaking opportunities for Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and Elizabeth Williams—especially for shooters positioned in the weak-side corner, where help defense is most likely to come from.
Expect these scenarios to become especially important late in games, as the Chicago Sky work to replace Vandersloot with other primary offensive initiators. After Vandersloot initiated the majority of half-court sets in the final five minutes of the narrow loss to Phoenix on May 27th (9 of 11), the split was much more balanced with Atkins in the wins over Dallas on May 29th (five by Vandersloot, three by Atkins) and May 31st (four by Vandersloot, three by Atkins). Different opponents and game situations will dictate varying approaches, but having variety from the primary ball handler (a role Atkins should now dominate) is crucial for any offense—especially one without a dominant isolation scorer—to maintain efficiency when defenses tighten in the final minutes of close contests.
Of course, another crucial area for Atkins to influence the game is as an off-ball scorer—and early signs suggest there’s plenty of room for her productivity to continue growing in this area. Similar to her on-ball usage, Atkins was puzzlingly underutilized as an off-ball threat during the first three games of the season. However, Tyler Marsh moved quickly to adjust this, and Atkins has since surpassed her total catch-and-shoot attempts from those three opening blowouts (6) on a per-game basis in the three games prior to the Vandersloot injury (6.7 attempts per game). Given her role as the offense’s primary scorer, these off-ball opportunities might seem secondary, but the team’s desire for balanced scoring across all five players—and Atkins’s impressive efficiency so far on catch-and-shoot threes (48.0 percent)—make this a vital part of her (and the Sky’s) offensive toolkit. Of course, creating these opportunities without Vandersloot will be more difficult, but Chicago’s coaching staff must find ways to generate them given their value.
Rebecca Allen
While Atkins’ strong three-game stretch cemented her as the Sky’s most impactful offensive player, Rebecca Allen has, without question, been the most consistent contributor within her defined role. It may have taken a couple of games for Atkins and Marsh to sync up, but Allen’s fit within Marsh’s system was clear from day one.
Indeed, a significant portion of the quickfire offensive sets the Chicago Sky have run out of timeouts this season have been designed specifically for Allen. Of her 25 three-point attempts, nine (36.0 percent) have come from these designed screen actions—often involving multiple screens in rapid succession. Her efficiency in those moments (55.6 percent) justifies the early and consistent trust Marsh has placed in the veteran. Naturally, the more these sets are showcased, the more tape opponents will have to find counters. But Allen’s comfort shooting even without perfect balance makes it difficult for defenses to react quickly—with the consequence of showing their hand too early being a chance for Allen or the distributor feeding her to reroute the play elsewhere as the defense rotates.
At the same time, Allen’s ability to put the ball on the floor and blow past hard closeouts or defensive hedges has emerged as a valuable secondary weapon in the early stages of the season:
Allen’s shot profile highlights a player who—consistent with previous seasons—is comfortable attacking towards multiple areas on the floor. That versatility makes it significantly harder for defenses to contain her three-point shooting.
For Marsh, the challenge for the remainder of the season is maximizing what Allen has demonstrated—both over these seven games and throughout her previous nine WNBA seasons—without overloading her offensive responsibilities. While Allen is a very talented scorer in bursts, she’s also been tasked with a variety of demanding defensive roles—from battling bigs in the post to guarding perimeter threats like Paige Bueckers—that require significant mental and physical effort. As long as the Sky can harness her offensive value without sacrificing that defensive versatility, there’s little reason to make major changes moving forward. As the most “plug and play” option among the new additions, Allen has seamlessly fit into numerous personnel groups and roles, delivering well-above-average two-way value for her minute share. Her shooting and confidence attacking off the dribble should help her remain a comfortable fit even as the rest of the offense continues to mesh and evolve around her.
Kia Nurse
While Allen has seamlessly acclimated to her role, Kia Nurse’s adaptation has been noticeably slower—largely due to her struggles with hitting shots to start the season. Entering 2025 with a career three-point percentage of 32.4 percent in the WNBA and a similar 33.1 percent mark last season with the Sparks, there was some overestimation about Nurse’s sharpshooting ability leading into the year, and her impressive 46.2 percent shooting in the preseason only reinforced that belief. However, a 1-15 start through the first three games quickly flipped expectations in the opposite direction. Yet, Nurse’s performance since—9-for-22 (40.9 percent) shooting from three over the last four games—makes a strong case for overall regression to the mean.
Indeed, the quality of Nurse’s looks hasn’t changed drastically—from her hot preseason to the slow start and, now, her gradual return to form:
And if history is any indication, streaky stretches—common among good, not great shooters—are likely to remain a theme throughout the rest of Nurse’s season.
In many respects, the Chicago Sky can live with that variability. On nights when she’s in rhythm, Nurse’s shooting could swing games in the Sky’s favor—or at least help them keep pace when their defense springs leaks, as it did during her 4-of-7 performance from deep in a shootout loss in Phoenix.
And when Nurse isn’t shooting well, the Sky can live with that too—thanks to options like Allen, Rachel Banham, or even Michaela Onyenwere (despite her own slow start from three), who can provide shooting and, in Allen and Onyenwere’s case, like-for-like small forward coverage. Naturally, Marsh and his staff will continue working to unlock more from Nurse—through her ball-handling and other complementary skills—but the lion’s share of her shots coming from beyond the arc is consistent with her past offensive tendencies.
By inserting her into the opening night starting five, Marsh clearly casts Nurse primarily as a designated shooter—and the most valuable contribution she can offer is a continued trend toward her career shooting numbers.. Her shot-making can support the broader health of the offense: more makes lead to better spacing, which, in turn, creates more good looks for Nurse.
Still, no individual leap from Nurse, Allen or any one player–including Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso who are working through their own ups and downs–can single handedly elevate the Sky’s offensive output. Atkins, as the team’s clearest individual scoring threat, can certainly help nudge things upward—the Chicago Sky rank seventh in offensive rating across the four games she’s taken 10 or more shots—but sustained improvement will require something more collective, especially against stronger defenses. For this Chicago team, a rising tide will truly lift all boats.
And though balanced scoring is an early strength—with all five starters averaging over eight points per game, the balance of the broader offensive ecosystem, including more nuanced elements like timing and spacing, still needs significant refinement. Through seven games, a variety of stats bear this out: Chicago Sky ranks 11th in offensive rating and 13th in true shooting, while committing more turnovers per game (18.6) than any team in the league—including the newly assembled Valkyries.
Again, that lack of precision shouldn’t be a major concern this early in the season. Team-based elements like spacing and—especially—timing naturally take time to develop on newly constructed rosters. As a result, many of the current numbers—particularly the sky-high turnover rate (22.8 percent, higher than any team has posted since 2012)—are likely to stabilize as the sample size grows, especially given the roster’s notable veteran presence. That said, the absence of Vandersloot for any time is a significant blow to that presence—particularly at the position where it matters most.
Regardless of the counting numbers, the question is whether the remaining 37 games will provide enough time for the Chicago Sky to find rhythm as a group and yield a large enough sample size for Marsh and GM Jeff Pagliocca to determine what else this roster needs to continue ascending next season. If the team gels quickly and their overall performance (on both ends) takes a significant step forward from this point forward, Pagliocca will have a clear sign that his top priority in free agency—beyond pursuing any of the available superstars—should be retaining the core pieces of this team.
If, as now seems likely—especially with Vandersloot out—the Sky are still finding their footing come September, Chicago’s brain trust will face the complex task of determining whether the specific players added this season, the general profiles of those players, or some combination of both represents the gap between the team’s current state and the lofty goals it hopes to reach in the near future. And therein lies the conflicting pressure this brand-new offense faces as it tries to gel quickly in the “win-now” environment the front office created by trading the No. 3 pick.
For young players like Reese and Cardoso—whose contracts (with fourth-year team options) run through 2027—the impetus to grow, both individually and within Marsh’s system, naturally outweighs the immediate need to win (though of course, they’ll aim to do both).
For these three newly acquired veterans—and other soon-to-be free agents like Williams and Banham—the equation flips: development time, whether personal or systemic, is less guaranteed without the security of a future deal. On paper, and through the lens of these opening seven games, it’s clear the Chicago Sky have taken some meaningful steps toward building a more functional offensive environment. But with so much development still needed—and the clock already ticking for this group—it’s fair to wonder whether those steps are big enough, or if a season of incremental progress but modest results could leave the front office in a tentative position, prompting them to alter course again before Marsh’s system has had a real chance to take hold.
All stats as of June 8th. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and WNBA.com.
