With two first-round draft picks, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are looking forward to 2025

It was a clear sign that she was doing well and in a positive mental space, despite the injury that sidelined her for the Chicago Sky’s final six games. Chicago lost five of those six games in Reese’s absence.

“My recovery has been great,” Reese shared with a smile. “Just continuing to do whatever the doctor tells me to do. Obviously, I can’t do much … I’ve been able just to continue to just run and doing some things on one hand, but not much, but being able to try to stay in shape as best as I can. Hopefully October 8th, I’ll be able to figure out what’s next for me. Obviously, hopefully (the brace) comes off and I can actually start physical therapy with my hand and get back to full motion.”

Reese’s offseason goals are to get in better shape, improve her nutrition, work on little things, finish through contact, get stronger, and, perhaps most importantly, give herself more grace.

Win a New York Liberty trading card when you subscribe!

Until the end of November, every new subscriber (and subscription renewal) to The Next will be entered to win a Panini trading card celebrating the WNBA champion New York Liberty — and yes, we can confirm it will be the Ellie rookie card!

Reese was special during a transcendent season where she set a WNBA rookie record for double-doubles (26). She also briefly held the WNBA single-season record for rebounds before A’ja Wilson ultimately surpassed it. Reese averaged 13.6 points and a WNBA-leading 13.1 rebounds. She had an astounding stretch of 15 straight double-doubles. Despite exceeding numerous expectations, Reese still had a one-track mind and it may have contributed to her not appreciating her nightly excellence.

“I wasn’t able to sit and congratulate myself on a lot of things and I’ve never been like that,” Reese said. “I don’t know I’ve always been a mindset of everything that you did today looks good tomorrow. Then, like you didn’t do anything today. So, I’ve done a lot of amazing things. And of course, that you guys give me praise about.

“I know I got in a press conference one time, and I was like, I’m not trying to talk about a rebound record because my importance is to win a championship. That’s the biggest thing for me. I just really, really want to win. So, I don’t know a point in the season that I was like oh you did that like I’m really proud because I don’t give myself a lot of grace which I need to do.”

Derailed by injuries

Despite a promising start, the Sky’s season was unfortunately derailed by injuries and a tough stretch in late August. They endured three close losses to Connecticut, Las Vegas, and Washington by a combined margin of just nine points over a five day period.

The Sky were in playoff contention until the final week, but by the time they arrived in Connecticut for their season finale, they were a shell of themselves. Several key players, including Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Chennedy Carter, Elizabeth Williams, and Diamond DeShields, were injured and didn’t play against the Sun.

“I’m super proud of with this team is how competitive they are and how hard they continue to play each and every night,” Chicago head coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “That was a big piece, no matter what we went through. No matter the injuries, the sicknesses. Everybody stepped between those four lines and they played hard …You can’t help, but to be proud of your team, leaving it all out there, no matter what. Competing at a very high level is always huge to watch, beautiful to watch, and a lot of people when you’re going through a lot of things just kind of throw the towel in. But that’s not something this team did.”

The Sky missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018 after dropping 12 of their final 14 games. According to The Next, Chicago’s injury losses accounted for 9.8 percent of all WNBA player games missed, the fourth-highest in the league.

Recovering from a difficult season

During exit interviews, Sky players reflected on the season’s challenges, discussing online harassment, growing pains, and adjusting to Weatherspoon’s leadership.

“Just from the outside, I mean, she had a lot of pressure on her because she is a first-year coach and especially the first-year coach as a Black woman,” Reese said. “I know it wasn’t easy for her so I tried to give her some type of confidence. I always told her we’ll be fine, like we’ll be fine, like you’ll be okay, because I know it’s hard, and obviously coming from a 22-year old, I don’t know if that ever meant anything. Still, I know just being able to be there for her because I know how hard it is to be a rookie at something or the first of something. I will continuously and always say I was lucky and blessed to be able to have a coach like ‘Spoon.”

Weatherspoon and her staff also helped Reese regain her swagger. After the Olympic break, she admitted to struggling mentally because her on-court performances weren’t meeting her standards. They encouraged her to stay focused and assured her things would improve.

Reese left a great impression with a 24-point, 12-rebound performance in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks in what turned out to be her final game on Sept. 6. The next day—a college football Saturday—Reese was near the top of the news cycle after announcing on social media that her season was finished.

“It kind of was a little hard for me to kind of get out of it,” Reese said. “Obviously, I wasn’t making shots … The coaches really helped me with that. I think that was kind of the biggest challenge, but I kind of got out of that, but then, unfortunately, I broke my wrist … I think overall, this year was really good for me and beneficial for me. And I think my rookie season was something I wouldn’t change for anything.”

Looking ahead

The only thing the Sky would change about this season is being one of the eight playoff participants. It was a tough ending to the year for Sky, but the season displayed many positive signs, plenty of character, and consistently showcased the heart of a champion despite the adversity it endured during the season.

Reese was one of the many bright spots for the Sky. The team learned that she, along with Cardoso, are strong building blocks for future success. Cardoso, who missed the Sky’s first eight games, finished the season averaging 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. She finished with seven double-doubles.

Carter also provided explosiveness and competitiveness, which could be essential to Chicago’s future. Carter, a contender for Comeback Player of the Year, led the Sky in scoring at 17.5 points per game.

She showcased her entire repertoire during a season-best 34-point performance in a road victory against Las Vegas in the final game before the Olympic break. It was the perfect complement to a road victory against New York and an electric fourth quarter rally from double-digits to beat Indiana. Those wins showed the Sky’s potential amid their numerous encouraging team efforts.

“I feel like I’ve definitely made a statement, and I’ve definitely allowed everyone to see my talent and embrace just me being back in the WNBA,” Carter said. “I would evaluate ‘Spoon’s first year as great. And I think she faced a lot of adversity, just as we all have. I faced adversity, and she made me a better player. She was able to help the organization grow and make us better women overall … We did what nobody thought we could do. We were 12 coming in, and we made a playoff run. Unfortunately, we had a lot of people who were down, and we had a lot of changes, but in the future, I am looking forward to seeing what ‘Spoon can do.”

Celebrate Alex Morgan and save 13% off The IX

USWNT legend Alex Morgan announced her retirement from professional soccer on Sept. 5. In honor of her incredible career and lasting impact off the field, you can save 13% when you subscribe to The IX through the end of September.

That’s 13% off daily coverage of women’s sports like soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics.

Carter, Michaela Onyenwere, and Dana Evans are restricted free agents. Isabelle Harrison, Brianna Turner, and DeShields are unrestricted free agents. Elizabeth Williams signed a contract extension through 2025, while Lindsay Allen and Rachel Banham are under contract and will return next season along with Reese and Cardoso.

Chicago general manager Jeff Pagliocca acknowledged Carter’s impact. Judging by his sly smile, bringing Carter back is potentially high on his to-do list. Carter scored 30 or more points twice and ended the season by reaching double-digits in eight straight games.

“She had an incredible season for us,” Pagliocca said of Carter. “She was very valuable. She came in, earned a spot in the starting lineup, went to work, did a lot of damage. And obviously she’s a player that can impact the game at the highest level in this league. So, you know, it’s a player we’re going to make sure we keep an eye on and engage, when it’s time.”

Draft plans

One area the Sky will most likely address is more outside shooting help. Although it was already a struggle before the Marina Mabrey trade to Connecticut, it became a glaring weakness after the Olympic break. Even though Onyenwere, Banham, Allen, and others tried to make up for it, the Sky still finished ninth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (32.3).

“You have to learn how to win as a new group,” Allen said. “I’m excited to have that continuity as a group and come back next season and take what we learned and just grow from it. For us, it’s just consistency, consistency in our identity, how we want to play, who we want to be as a team. And then how do we reinforce that every day as a group on and off the court.”

Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

Due to the Mabrey trade, the Sky has Connecticut’s first-round draft pick. Overall, Chicago has two top-ten first-round draft picks. Unfortunately, even if the Sky wins the Draft lottery and earns the No. 1 pick, which the chances are at 17.8 percent, it won’t get it because Dallas could trade picks with the Sky as part of the trade to obtain Mabrey before the 2023 season.

Pagliocca indicated that the Sky’s offseason priorities included adding more shooting and acquiring more athleticism and skill.

“We’re looking forward to improving everywhere,” Pagliocca said. “Having two first-round picks again is going to be really exciting when we’re looking at the college landscape. We’ve got some roster space and some good cap space, so you know we’re going to be able to make some moves in free agency as well. So, I think we’re in a pretty good place as far as building amongst the core we have here right now. … I am confident that we will continue to make strong, aggressive moves to put the best product on the floor.”