The Chicago Sky return to action Thursday, hosting the Phoenix Mercury after nearly a month between games amid the WNBA’s Olympic break.
Thursday’s game will feature a homecoming for Kahleah Copper, who won a gold medal with the United States on Sunday. It will also be the debut of a new-look roster for the Sky after a rare midseason trade during the break, which sent former shooting guard Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.
As the Sky work to maintain their playoff position, here are five questions the team must answer in the final stretch of the season.
Who takes Marina Mabrey’s spot in the starting lineup?
Mabrey was a consistent starter in her two-season tenure with the Sky. That spot in the rotation will now be filled by forward Michaela Onyenwere, who coach Teresa Weatherspoon confirmed will take Mabrey’s place in the starting group Thursday.
This changes the Sky’s starting rotation in several key ways. Onyenwere is a lengthier, more athletic option on the perimeter — and she provides a more rigorous defensive threat than Mabrey. The main downgrade from Mabrey to Onyenwere is offensive output. Even amid one of the worst shooting streaks of her career, Mabrey was averaging 14 points (and 2.3 makes from 3-point range) per game.
Onyenwere has been a less consistent offensive option for the Sky this season, averaging 3.6 points per game. But she could still be a crucial threat from behind the 3-point arc, where she has been shooting at a 45% clip on 1.1 attempts per game.
How will the Sky utilize Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson?
The trade from Connecticut was a surprise to Banham and Jefferson, but the timing benefitted a smooth transition. Both players were able to return home for the break — Jefferson to Texas, Banham to Minnesota — before moving to Chicago. After two weeks of training with their new team, Banham and Jefferson feel acclimated to their new roles with the Sky.
For Banham, the expectations are simple: “Be a sniper.”
“Come in and shoot it,” Banham said. “Shoot 3s. Let it rock. And that’s what I love to do. That’s who I am as a player. So I’m like, say less.”
Banham was a proficient shooter off the bench for the Sun, breaking a single-game franchise record with eight 3-pointers in a July win and shooting 34.8% from 3-point range this season. While Banham might not fully absorb Mabrey’s shot profile, she will likely become the highest volume shooter from behind the arc on the roster.
Banham voiced excitement to play with new teammates like Chennedy Carter — who she described as “the fastest person on earth” — and noted the team’s rebounding proficiency should help connect for spray-out 3-pointers on second chance opportunities.
Jefferson underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right ankle in June, but Weatherspoon said Tuesday that she is on track to return under a minutes restriction for the game against Phoenix. The guard will serve as a facilitator for the secondary unit, relieving Dana Evans of some of the on-ball duties that have bogged down her ability to take more 3s.
Can the Sky pass the Fever in the standings?
The Sky entered the Olympic break in playoff position with a 10-14 record, which places them eighth overall in the league with the last postseason spot.
For the Sky, maintaining this position should be achievable as the next closest teams — the Atlanta Dream and Los Angeles Sparks — are already three or more games back while facing two of the top-five toughest schedules to close the season. But the Sky are also positioned to leapfrog the Indiana Fever, who they are currently tied with in win-loss differential despite playing two fewer games.
Overtaking the Fever would be a challenge after Indiana closed the first half of the season on a surge of success fueled by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, who have finally unlocked their one-two punch as a tandem. Both the Sky and the Fever entered the Olympic break on a 5-5 run.
Can Kamilla Cardoso make the jump?
For the Sky, the difference between squeaking into the playoffs and genuinely competing in the postseason could hinge on the progression of rookie Kamilla Cardoso.
Cardoso’s introduction to the WNBA was delayed by a shoulder injury, but she has since risen into a comfortable position with the Sky as their starting center, averaging 8.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Still, Cardoso has shown major weaknesses that need shoring up, most notably her low efficiency in finishing shots in the paint.
After a canceled flight thwarted her plans to visit her mother and sister in Brazil over the Olympic break, Cardoso spent the time off working on one key area of improvement: finishing around the rim through contact.
Kamilla Cardoso’s flight to Brazil was cancelled, so she wasn’t able to go home over the Olympic break.
That meant extra time in Chicago focusing on two areas of her game: finishing at the rim and playing aggressive through contact. pic.twitter.com/4zdVqlLdUA
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 7, 2024
If Cardoso continues to make gradual progress, this rookie season will still be a win for the Sky. But if she can elevate closer to the world-beating prowess on display in her final NCAA tournament run with South Carolina in the spring, Cardoso could power the Sky into upsets this fall — and potentially deeper into the postseason.
Can the Sky find their clutch gene?
Close games were a weak point for the Sky in the first half of the season, posting a 7-11 clutch record that was the second-worst in the league (behind only the Washington Mystics, who are 3-15). This is an understandable challenge for a young team shaped around a pair of rookies, but it’s also a make-or-break area of growth for the latter half of the season.
The Sky already showed improvement in this area before the Olympic hiatus. Eight of their last 10 games before the break ended in clutch time, and the Sky closed five of those games with a win. A continuation of this turnaround could lift the Sky to a playoff position — and will determine their ability to advance past the first round of the postseason.