Rickea Jackson’s season-ending injury leaves the Sky in a hole.
A 6-2, 22-points-per-game-sized hole.
Their first attempt to fill the spot came Wednesday against the Wings when they started 5-10 guard Natasha Cloud in Jackson’s place. Cloud had 21 points and eight rebounds in the home opener.
But the first game without Jackson, a 99-89 Sky loss, also highlighted how difficult it is to beat a good team without an elite closer and shotmaker. When Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale took over in the fourth quarter, the Sky failed to respond.
Losing Jackson also leaves the Sky undersized and undermanned.
Only two players on the Sky’s active roster — Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams — are taller than 6 feet. Wings forward Jessica Shepard took advantage with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Sky entered the game with only eight fully rostered active players, plus two development players in Aicha Coulibaly and Maddy Westbeld, who are only eligible to play in 12 games apiece.
That means the Sky are eligible for a hardship contract, which would allow them to sign a player to a short-term deal while they wait for their injured players to return. The team is exploring that option ahead of its rematch Saturday against the Lynx.
The longer-term plan, coach Tyler Marsh said, is to first see what the roster looks like once it’s healthy.
“I think we have enough right now,” Marsh said. “What we’re looking at is for the players that we have to be healthy. We haven’t really had a good glimpse of that yet. Once we do, we’ll have a better understanding of what holes still need to be filled. We’ve got a lot of quality players that need to come back. We’ll get them back slowly but surely. I’m really pleased and proud of what the group that is healthy has been able to do thus far.”
Azurá Stevens, Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington are rehabbing injuries without clear return timelines.
The most immediate fix would be getting Stevens back. The 6-6 stretch big is the closest thing on the roster to what Jackson offered — scoring, outside shooting and length. She’s also the nearest to returning.
Marsh said the medical staff believes Stevens could be available Saturday. But she sat out against the Wings and has yet to return to five-on-five action in practice.
Clear-eyed
Point guard Skylar Diggins took a shot to the face in Phoenix last week and missed a game in Minnesota. But after seeing several eye specialists, she was cleared to play Tuesday, returned to the starting lineup against the Wings and had 15 points.
“[I’ve] been battling some dumb [stuff] personally, with injuries and stupid [stuff], so just got to get into the swing of it,” Diggins said. “But I ain’t tripping. I still love our squad.”
Wise beyond her years
The consistent message from Sky coaches and players about Gabriela Jaquez is that their No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft is “not a rookie.” Or at least she doesn’t play like one. She’s averaging 12.5 points in 30 minutes and making plays that ooze veteran savvy.
“You can tell she’s been around pros her whole life,” Diggins said.
Jaquez’s older brother, Jaime Jaquez Jr., just finished his third season with the Heat.
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