Grading Tyler Marsh’s first year with Chicago

One door closed when the Chicago Sky parted ways with Teresa Weatherspoon after her lone season with the organization — and another one opened when the Sky chose the unknown route by giving Tyler Marsh his first opportunity as head coach.

After an offseason of roster overhaul and personnel turnover, which included trades in exchange for their draft compensation, and signings of players with specific skill sets to complement Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky came into the 2025 season with an optimistic approach. 

Things have gone in the opposite direction, as there’s a legit argument that the Sky has looked worse than their record indicates in Marsh’s first season. Being derailed by injuries and a seeming disconnect between the team and Marsh’s new offensive system play a large part in that fall. The Sky have not given their city and fan base a reason to trust the process.

The reality of forming and establishing a new identity 

Having a vision and a plan versus having them actually come to fruition are two different things. The front office added veteran players around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso by giving up crucial draft capital in a trade for Ariel Atkins, and acquiring Courtney Vandersloot, Kia Nurse, and Rebecca Allen, through free agency. Instead of prioritizing their long-term future by building patiently through the draft, the Sky decided to expedite the process.

While the Sky never recovered from the devastating injury of Courtney Vandersloot tearing her ACL, which forced Rachel Banham and Ariel Atkins to play out of position, the team is still adjusting to the system and to shed some positivity — and have shown flashes of fluidity and comfortability, the latest example with them having their best performance of the season in their most recent win over the Connecticut Sun. The numbers and eye test indicate that this team has a long way to go and needs significant personnel changes to execute Tyler Marsh’s vision for the Sky.

Unlocking Angel Reese & Kamilla Cardoso

Although the Sky haven’t had the season they were hoping for, the lone bright spots are the progression and growth of their two core pillars: Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

Tyler Marsh has emphasized making Reese and Cardoso the focal points of the offense. For instance, utilizing Reese more as a face-up forward, operating more from the perimeter and attacking defenders off the dribble, and using her more as a facilitator. On the other hand, he has also placed Cardoso in more offensive actions — in the low post, at the nail as a decision-maker off the pick-and-roll, or in the high post as a facilitator, which has really been showcased post All-Star break, and is the most underrated aspect of her game. All these factors have resulted in a confidence booster and a more aggressive player who’s more assertive in demanding touches. 

The scheme has pushed Reese and Cardoso to expand their games, leading to statistical improvements for both of them: Reese averaging 14.7 points on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 3.7 assists per game, and Cardoso averaging 13.4 points on 52.9% from the floor and 2.4 assists per game. This upcoming offseason is pivotal for the Sky. Their front office desperately needs to restore the broken culture, hit on their next draft pick, and sign players who complement these two. The team’s future success depends heavily on these steps. 

Tyler Marsh’s first taste at the helm

Not only has the Sky regressed from a record standpoint, but in numerous statistical categories — they are last in scoring, turnovers, and net rating, and second to last in offensive and defensive ratings. In actuality, the lack of head coaching experience showed issues with not having command of the team, in deploying and utilizing his players, underwhelming development in rookies Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld, and his lack of second-half adjustments through large portions of the season, all reflecting on the Sky’s lack of progression. 

It’s difficult to fully assess Marsh’s first year due to it being derailed by injuries throughout the season. However, a recent statement by Angel Reese, per the Chicago Tribune, for which she is now under fire, resulted in her being suspended for the first half of last night’s game against the Las Vegas Aces, in which she ended up not playing at all after being ruled out with a back injury mid-game. That said, this latest debacle captures the organization’s current state as the Sky finds themselves at a crossroads with significant adjustments to their philosophy, culture, and roster needed to change the trajectory and move forward in the right direction. 

Final Verdict: D-