The Sky’s plan to gradually guide first-round pick Hailey Van Lith through her rookie season changed abruptly when veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last week. Van Lith’s timeline suddenly accelerated.
The upside is that although Van Lith has much to prove, she has a track record of resilience and adaptation. She played at three colleges and persisted through position changes, shifts in coaching style and other less-than-ideal circumstances.
Only two months after the Sky drafted her 11th overall, it’s time yet again to be sturdy during a storm.
“The best thing I can do is be excited for [more playing time],” Van Lith said. “The most that I can battle and keep away the fear of the moment and being scared of it is going to help me play free and loose and do what I do.
“I stepped up and led teams in uncomfortable situations, so . . . this is what I specialize in. Let’s see if I can do it at the next level.”
The Sky will find that out quickly whether Van Lith continues coming off the bench, as she did when coach Tyler Marsh started veteran Rachel Banham against the Liberty, or starts Friday in a visit to the Dream. Regardless, she has played more minutes in the last two games (42) than in the previous four (37) behind Vandersloot.
When Vandersloot was starting, Marsh liked Van Lith running the point on the second unit and Banham letting it fly at shooting guard. With that option out, he played Banham 27 minutes against the Liberty and Van Lith got 16. He indicated a preference for Banham because she has a clearer command of the offense at this stage.
Undeterred, Van Lith seems like she’ll get there eventually. One of her strengths has been the ability to process rookie mistakes and struggles simply as information to help her improve. At no point has she seemed overwhelmed or defeated.
“She doesn’t lose confidence — that’s the biggest thing,” Marsh said. “She can make a mistake, and you bring her to the sideline to talk about it, and she’s already recognized it.”
Van Lith’s relatively quick acclimation has been impressive in part because she’s fresh off playing heavy minutes for TCU and going deep into the NCAA Tournament. It was hardly surprising when she had an ankle injury early this season, but she mostly has been able to play through it.
To understand what’s being asked of Van Lith, it’s necessary to grasp what Vandersloot brought as a 15-year veteran. Few players in the league possess her wealth of knowledge, and Marsh relied on her as somewhat of an assistant coach. She knew her responsibilities as well as everyone else’s.
“She gave us a calming influence and an offensive threat and a leader,” general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “It’s extremely hard to replace somebody like that when that’s why you went and got them.”
Vandersloot taught Van Lith as much as possible before the injury, and it sounds like that will continue. Vandersloot was at practice Monday and figures to be around the team as much as her rehab allows.
Part of the rationale in playing Banham ahead of Van Lith is that the Sky are far from conceding the season after starting 2-6 and are not ready to focus on the future. The big picture is always some piece of the equation, though, especially as WNBA teams prepare for a flood of free agents after this season.
It could be a free-for-all, with any team having a shot at landing transformative stars, and in the meantime, the Sky must evaluate which young players on long-term contracts can be pillars of a championship contender. If Van Lith shows them enough this season, she could establish herself as a fixture and clarify their shopping list.