Sky guard Hailey Van Lith’s rookie year hasn’t gone according to plan.
Van Lith, whom the Sky drafted No. 11 overall in April, was supposed to come in and learn under one of the all-time great point guards in Courtney Vandersloot on the road to potentially being the team’s point guard of the future.
But Vandersloot tore the ACL in her right knee just seven games into the season, setting off a scramble to fill the role. The job ultimately fell to veteran Rachel Banham, while Van Lith was left to navigate a difficult adjustment to the pros.
She’s shooting only 17% from three-point range and cracking the rotation intermittently, averaging 13 minutes. Early on, she said the pace of play in the WNBA left her feeling sped up.
It’s a common issue for young guards in a league where everyone is bigger, faster and smarter. The Sky’s leading scorer, Ariel Atkins, remembers it well and said it’s especially tough for players who always have relied on their speed.
‘‘Once she learns to start and stop and use her speed when she wants to versus when people are making her use it, that will be big for her,’’ Atkins told the Sun-Times.
To help Van Lith along, the Sky’s staff has stressed ‘‘less is more.’’ In college, Van Lith got used to being the focal point of the offense. Now, however, coach Tyler Marsh wants her to simplify her game.
‘‘A lot of the film we watch [and] a lot of the drills we break down is just to help me relax,’’ Van Lith said. ‘‘We realized that I needed any way possible to just slow me down, so that I can play normal.’’
Her best showing came in a victory against the Sun, in which she scored 16 points playing mostly off the ball. The staff put her in triple-threat situations rather than in live-dribble ones, and it worked.
That was another surprise. Van Lith came into the league thinking she had to be a point guard to succeed, but she has discovered she can play off the ball, as well. Marsh sees that as a positive, noting how the league is trending toward combo guards.
‘‘She possesses a lot of those same characteristics,’’ Marsh said. ‘‘Her ability to play off the catch, her ability to relocate and get behind the line and play in space. She’s got some ability to initiate offense and play in ball screens.’’
The problem now is just getting her on the court. Van Lith missed three games in late July with an ankle injury and still is dealing with lingering issues from college.
‘‘It’s not a clear-cut injury; it’s an overuse thing,’’ Van Lith said. ‘‘The only way I can make it go away is if I stopped playing, and that’s not really a possibility right now. So a lot of what we’re doing is pain management.’’
She has been back in the rotation for five consecutive games, though minutes have been limited as the Sky integrate new point guard Sevgi Uzun into their scheme. Uzun started Wednesday against the Sun, and Marsh sees potential to pair her with Van Lith to put more ballhandlers on the court.
Van Lith said she’s starting to feel more comfortable with the pace but continues to work on it with her player-development coach.
‘‘The fact that she’s even thinking about it is a step in the right direction,’’ Atkins said.
The Sky gave up a first-round pick in 2026 to draft Van Lith, a sign of their belief she could shape their future. The question is whether her rookie season is a regular detour or an early sign the Sky’s plan might need rewriting.