Even more troubling than the Sky’s 10-34 season was that it stopped being clear who they aspire to be. In 2024, it looked like the Sky were trying to be the Connecticut Sun — defensive bruisers with a signature sneer. Feasting on a perceived lack of respect and recognition.
Do you even know how many triple-doubles Alyssa Thomas has? That’s what the Sun seemed to be saying as they ripped the ball out from under you.
The Sun were tough guys — bad guys, even — who proved that in the league’s modern era, you could still win by stuffing opponents’ flashy offenses back in a box.
The 2024 Sky — with a brand new coach and two star rookies — had a similar vibe.
No, they didn’t have any Thomas-caliber players. But their coach was old-school and defense-first, and two of the team’s young stars, Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter, were also motivated by perceived disrespect. The chip-on-the-shoulder mentality got the Sky farther than most expected. They stayed in the playoff race and punched above their weight defensively.
This isn’t to romanticize the 2024 Sky, whose season ultimately unraveled. This is just to say: one could squint past the bumbling and see what they were aiming for — the Sun 2.0.
It seemed like a logical aspiration. The Sun showed teams can win without modern infrastructure, still practicing in a place that hosts children’s birthday parties. And their stars, Reese and Thomas, saw aspects of themselves in each other.
The parallels were there, and it seemed like a mold worth trying.
But the Sky switched it up in 2025 — from trying to be the bad guys to the good guys.
The team still talked about toughness and grit, but the bigger topic of conversation was veteran leadership. They brought in “high-character” players to guide its young stars: Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins, Rachel Banham, Kia Nurse and Rebecca Allen.
The 2025 Sky would win with championship habits, a top point guard, and a more modern, space-and-pace style of play.
The losses that followed — 34 of them to be exact — were often difficult to watch. The team couldn’t stay healthy or take care of the ball. But it all could have been forgiven if they were building an identity.
The problem was: one could squint past the 40-point blowouts and still not know what you were looking at.
Sure, the team had some recognizable elements — Reese and Cardoso’s rebounding, Banham’s 3-point shooting — but they didn’t have a signature personality or play style when they stepped on the court.
In fact, they were often outplayed by less talented teams.
Something that the face of the franchise noticed.
“Watching Golden State — no offense, but I don’t think they’re more talented than us on paper,” Reese said in an interview with the Tribune that ultimately got her suspended. “But they play hard as hell. So starting at the top, we’ve got to find an identity of what we’re going to be next year and then roll with the punches of what we can get.”
Yes, in Year 3 of the Reese-Cardoso era, the Sky do need to find themselves — and a little more urgently now. They’ve experimented, tried on a version that didn’t stick, and learned what they’re not. It’s OK if they don’t want to be the Sun 2.0.
But who, then, are they aiming for? Do they want to be like the expansion Valkyries, whose international scouting helped bring them to the playoffs? Or the rising Fever, whose adaptability through high-profile injuries surprised everyone?
It’s a question worth clarifying — before the moment passes them by.