The Sky haven’t looked connected on defense this year. They sit near the bottom of the league in defensive rating alongside the struggling Wings, Sun and Sparks. But if there’s one thing they’re aligned on, it’s who’s holding them accountable.
Ask any player which coach stays on them the most about defense, and they won’t hesitate: Tanisha Wright.
“T’s on my neck every day,” guard Ariel Atkins said. “There’s not a moment where she lets me breathe.”
Wright built her reputation on intensity and defensive acumen. She helped turn the Aces into one of the league’s top defensive teams as an assistant, then led the Dream from the bottom of the standings to the playoffs as head coach. When the Dream’s progress stalled in 2024, she was let go.
But her decision to join the staff of a first-year head coach in Tyler Marsh said something — about him and about the kind of foundation they’re hoping to build.
“She’s been a great mentor for me,” Marsh said. “And for some of our players.”
She already has made an impact on forward Angel Reese. During a recent team Jeopardy game, the group discovered that Wright had been named to the All-Defensive team seven times. Reese was impressed — her goal is to reach that level this year.
“She’s the best critic of [defense] because she knows that it’s all achievable,” guard Rebecca Allen told the Sun-Times.
The Sky haven’t matched the coaching staff’s standards. Marsh wants his team to be disciplined and disruptive like the Lynx. To get there, Wright thinks they might need more time.
“You’re talking about a brand-new group trying to mesh, learn each other’s tendencies,” she said. “In most cases, that may take a year or two. That’s just the way it works.”
There’s truth to that. The Liberty and Lynx — the league’s top defensive teams — have had time to jell.
But the Sky don’t have much time to spare. Most of the roster is set to hit free agency after this season. They need to do enough winning to make players want to stay.
Other teams are showing it’s possible. The Mercury and Dream — both working with retooled rosters — are in the top five in defensive rating. So maybe it’s not just about time. Maybe it’s about execution.
Or maybe it’s about . . . offense. It’s hard to develop a defensive identity when you’re constantly throwing the ball away.
The Sky gave up 40 points off turnovers in their loss to the Mystics on Tuesday — part of a larger pattern that has made it hard to even see what their defense could be.
So many mistakes on offense don’t give the defense a chance to get set.
Still, Atkins — who has made five All-Defensive teams — isn’t interested in excuses.
“We can say the root of the problem is turnovers, but we also gotta get down and guard sometimes,” she said. “We’ve got to get that done.”
So what’s the fix? More minutes for defensive-minded center Elizabeth Williams? Reese taking the leap she’s aiming for? Hailey Van Lith adjusting faster to the pros?
Wright doesn’t think it’s about one person.
“You all hold a part of what we have going on together,” she said. “It can’t be four out of five. It can’t be three out of five. You gotta be five out of five every possession.”
She doesn’t believe in one defensive anchor holding up the rest — not Reese, not anyone.
“In terms of, like, we’re only gonna be as good as Angel takes us defensively — I don’t believe that,” Wright said. “I believe in all five of the people on the court holding their own responsibilities.”