As the Sky move closer to their season opener May 17, it’s vital that they sharpen their rotation and their revamped style of play. They have two more preseason games to do that, including one Tuesday against the Lynx.
It’ll be the new-look Sky’s first time taking the court at Wintrust Arena this year, and the Lynx will provide a challenge. While the fanfare of Angel Reese’s return last week to LSU made the preseason opener against the Brazilian national team a big event, this should be more substantial. The Lynx were in the WNBA Finals last season and swept the Sky in the regular season.
Coach Tyler Marsh offered insight into how he views the starting lineup in the game against Brazil, but he left the door open to tinkering. Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso are givens, but virtually everything else remains under evaluation.
Even those two have work to do during the rest of the preseason as the Sky push them to broaden their games and grow into more than just dominant low-post players.
Marsh sees the potential for shooting touch from Cardoso and envisions an expansive role for Reese in which she creates matchup problems for opponents at both ends of the court. There were signs of that against Brazil — particularly from Reese, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds and provided disruptive defense on the perimeter — but the Lynx will be a significant step up in competition.
The Sky also must keep testing out what they have in No. 10 pick Hailey Van Lith, who for now appears to be training as a backup point and shooting guard. She began the game against Brazil on the bench behind Courtney Vandersloot and didn’t play until midway through the third quarter.
Marsh said Van Lith has ‘‘picked her spots’’ to assert herself offensively in practice, which is a good start for a player just beginning her pro career, but she’s going to have to progress in a hurry to earn a regular spot in the rotation by the opener against the Fever.
It’s a tight turnaround for Marsh to get his team on the court for training camp at the end of April and have it ready to roll less than three weeks later, so it’s critical that he sees results beyond the practice court during the preseason.