PHOENIX — As Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins have embraced new roles this season, they’ve leaned on a familiar base: defense.
Atkins, a five-time WNBA All-Defensive team selection, ranks fifth in the league in steals. Her ball pressure has been one of the Sky’s few constants on defense, and she locked down Sabrina Ionescu when they upset the Liberty last week.
Reese has provided her own lift as the WNBA’s top defensive rebounder.
But the project of the season hasn’t been about continuing past strengths; it has been about growing into new roles. Head coach Tyler Marsh envisioned Reese as a playmaking hub, not just a rebounding machine. And the Sky (9-29) envisioned Atkins as more than a defensive stopper and middle-range master; they saw her as someone who could carry the team offensively.
They’ve needed it.
‘‘We really struggle when Ariel is not aggressive getting shots up,’’ Marsh said after a close loss this week to the Aces. ‘‘The games that we have won . . . have been her higher-attempted games.’’
The Sky don’t have many natural playmakers or volume scorers in the backcourt, so much falls on Atkins. But she never has averaged more than 13 shots per game in her career, well below top guards such as Ionescu or the Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell. Taking more shots is an even bigger challenge when she’s also guarding the opponent’s best player.
‘‘She’s used to taking on tough assignments defensively,’’ Marsh said. ‘‘The combination is something that she’s still growing into for us.’’
Atkins’ season hasn’t fully revealed whether this is the role that maximizes her game. Her field-goal attempts (11 per game) and scoring average (13.7) are down from last season, but her impact is unmistakable: The Sky’s offensive rating drops almost 15% when she’s off the court. She has scored 20-plus points seven times this season, including 30 against the Aces.
Her voice has mattered, too. She’s steady in practice, repeating play-calls so everyone hears and encouraging shooters. And she defends the team and her teammates in public.
When Reese’s early-season struggles became the subject of sometimes-nasty online debate, Atkins called for empathy.
‘‘This is a 23-year-old kid,’’ she said. ‘‘And the amount of crap that she gets on the day-to-day, and she still shows up. Her crown is heavy.’’
After the loss to the Aces, Atkins put the Sky’s record in perspective.
‘‘We’re still learning as a team,’’ she said. ‘‘I know some people probably don’t like the way that sounds, be it that we’re toward the end of the season, but I don’t really care. Our goal is to build a foundation.’’
The question is whether she’ll be part of it in the long term.
Reese’s evolution already has made her central to the Sky’s future. She has posted a league-leading 21 double-doubles and her first career triple-double, a glimpse of the Alyssa Thomas-style impact Marsh envisions. And she’s still only two years into her rookie contract.
Atkins’ situation is less certain. The Sky took a risk to acquire her, giving up a lottery pick. Now it’s her choice whether to stay.
Do her comments about building a foundation suggest she will? Atkins told the Sun-Times it’s too soon to know.
‘‘For me, it’s about leaving places better than you found them, regardless if you’re here next year or not,’’ she said. ‘‘At the end of the day, this is part of my journey. I don’t waste my time. I’m intentional about everything I do.’’
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