WNBA: Despite an 0-2 start, the Sky is not falling in Chicago

The Chicago Sky looked to bounce back from a 30-point loss to the Indiana Fever last Saturday in their home opener against the defending champion New York Liberty.

However, they didn’t fare much better, losing 99-74. The game showcased an obvious mismatch between the defending champions, who feature some of the best talent in the game, and a team under construction.

To say the contrast was stark would be an understatement. But understanding the context of the matchup is necessary.

The Liberty have a team of established veterans, including their core of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, all of whom are in their third season together. They also added a spark plug in veteran guard Natasha Cloud, who can space the floor, score from all spots and has strength and quickness. In addition, they have former Sky players Rebekah Gardner and Isabelle Harrison contributing from off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Sky are in their third-straight year of rebuilding. A new head coach in Tyler Marsh is facilitating a new system that relies on offensive prowess. The team is a mix of young blood and experienced veterans who are still getting used to each other.

All of which played out on the floor. Here are the five main reasons the Sky lost:

1. Turnovers

The Sky turned the ball over 23 times. At various points, they were too unselfish, especially when trying to feed either Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso or Elizabeth Williams in the paint. On the perimeter, the Sky had moments when they would swing the ball around and would throw it away when trying to avoid the defense. The Liberty capitalized with 27 points off turnovers.

2. Missed free throws

Chicago struggled at the free throw line. They shot 13-for-25 (52 percent) from the line, which pales in comparison to the Liberty’s 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) effort.

3. Missed open looks

At various moments the Sky had some good looks in the paint and on the perimeter. They couldn’t follow through, even though the shots looked like easy makes. In all, Chicago shot 25-for-69 (36.2 percent) from the field.

4. 3-point shooting

It was 3-pointers that told the story for the game. There was no comparison. The Liberty shot 55 percent from beyond the arc, making a WNBA single-game record 19 triples. The Sky shot a solid 40 percent, but finished eight makes behind the Liberty with 11.

5. Playing against the defending champions

As emphasized above, the Liberty are stacked with experience; the Sky are trying to cultivate an identity.

However, not all was bleak for the Sky. Here are five bright spots:

1. The bench

Chicago’s bench stepped up in major ways. They won the battle on bench points 41-35. Much of it came from the exploits of Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, Elizabeth Williams and Hailey Van Lith. Allen provided a spark with her strength and quickness, in addition to spreading the floor in transition and scoring from all spots. She finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds.

Banham was virtually lights out from her sweet spot on the 3-point line. She was 5-for-7 (71 percent) from 3 and led all Sky scorers with 15 points. Williams came in to provide back up for Reese and Cardoso. She fared well against Jones in a battle of veteran post players. She finished with seven points and grabbed six rebounds.

Van Lith showed considerable strength on the defensive end. She converted on four of her six free throw attempts, while also dishing out six assists.

2. Solid defensive stretches

Chicago managed to keep the Liberty at bay in the early stages of the game. Towards the end of the first quarter, they were able to crowd the perimeter and deny the passing lanes. They overcompensated in strength for what they didn’t have in size.

3. Courtney Vandersloot’s perimeter play

In her home return to Chicago and playing against her former team, Vandersloot was solid at her natural position. She commanded the offense fairly well and shot the ball decently, finishing the game with 14 points.

4. Kamilla Cardoso’s persistence in the paint

Cardoso held her own going up against Jones in the paint. While she is certainly a player in development, Cardoso showed flashes of brilliance in scoring and rebounding.

She finished with six points and four rebounds. There was also an emphasis on feeding Cardoso the ball with greater frequency. Her budding potential doesn’t go unnoticed by her coach, who said after the game:

I thought she had solid minutes at times. We talk a lot about assertiveness there. For me, I got to be more intentional about getting her looks down there. From Kamilla’s perspective, she’s got to continue to impose her will on the defense as well because she’s a load down there. She can be extremely effective and cause a lot of attention that create a lot of opportunities for our shooters and for other players on the floor with her. So we’ll continue to try to exploit that.

5. Angel Reese’s rebounding

Despite going 0-for-8 from the field and finishing the game with two free throws, Reese was relentless on the boards. She led the way with 12 boards, including eight offensive. As with Cardoso, Reese had to contend against established talent in Jones and Stewart. She is still a player in development, looking to enhance her game.

The Sky (0-2) hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Sparks (1-2) on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.