The Chicago Sky may not have made it to the playoffs last year, but they sure made it interesting. They were competitive, scrapping and hustling like their season depended on every possession. Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso were right in the thick of it, owning the paint, pulling down boards, and making life tough for their opponents. But that firepower didn’t come from everywhere. The perimeter? It stayed more like a quiet neighbor. And now, with their leading scorer out of the picture, the offense feels noticeably thin.

That reality hit hard and fast in their season opener against Caitlin Clark and Co. Clark went off! She dropped 20 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out 10 assists, and swatted four shots, marking a career high in blocks. Meanwhile, Reese did what she does best, leading Chicago with 12 points and 17 rebounds in a solid double-double effort. But even with her dominance, the Sky just couldn’t get it going. The offense felt flat. It lacked rhythm. What makes the loss even worse is the fact that Fever had only five returning players from last season.

Of course, the Chicago Sky’s head coach, Tyler Marsh, was unhappy with how things ended. The offense looked bad; The players didn’t look like they were on the same page. So it looks like the team will have to figure things out moving forward. But for now, what does Marsh think? Well, in the post-game press conference, he addressed the areas his players faltered.

“It’s hard to come back from when you put yourself in a hole with turnovers, and we missed some easy ones early on and they capitalized on those tonight. But we’ll be okay. This game will not define our season,” he said. The Sky committed 17 turnovers, and their rivals turned those into 25 easy points. That’s a whole quarter’s worth of damage done just by mistakes. Chicago couldn’t buy a bucket either, shooting a rough 29.1% from the field and a cold 6-for-27 from deep. Outside of Reese and Ariel Atkins, who each made it into double digits, the rest of the team ghosted on offense.

But here’s the thing. Marsh did call them out, but he isn’t panicking. He made it clear that this one game doesn’t define their season. In fact, he’s already looking ahead. At the center of his vision is Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. “Her [Angel Reese] and Kamilla—getting them comfortable with being on different areas of the floor. I think that’s a huge priority for us and has been, and so we talked about that a lot in camp. We’ve worked on it, putting Angel all over. I think you saw our handle on the perimeter some and bringing up in transition. And again, these are all adjustments and all things that are new for our team. So just getting used to this new style of play. It’s going to take some time but again, we’ll be okay.”

It’s clear he’s building something deliberate.

Considering that the two budding stars didn’t just sit around in the offseason either, it should be an added advantage for him. Reese was killing it in Unrivaled, winning Defensive Player of the Year and leading the Rose Basketball Club to the inaugural title. Meanwhile, Cardoso took her game overseas, putting up 20.2 points, 11 boards, and nearly two blocks per game for the Shanghai Swordfish.

Going into the 2025 season, Marsh is not just rolling the ball out and hoping for the best. He’s reworking the system. Angel’s not being pigeonholed into just being a paint beast anymore. She’s being stretched out into a stretch-four type role. More off-ball movement, more initiating plays, more spacing. Meanwhile, Cardoso is locking down the five, serving as the defensive anchor and rim protector.

It’s a smart move involving clear roles and defined spaces. Reese has the freedom to float and create, and Cardoso gets to own the paint. While it didn’t quite click in this game, once it does, it’s a setup that has the potential to become dangerous. And Reese is so ready for it!

Angel Reese will play point guard if that’s what the team needs

The game might’ve gotten out of hand, but let’s not overlook what Reese brought to the table. From the jump, she showed off the new layers of her game. First bucket was a sweet crossover at the wing, sizing up Natasha Howard and taking her to the rack for a tough finish through contact. 

Beyond that, she was bringing the ball up the court, setting things up, spacing the floor. Not your average forward stuff. But you know, Reese actually used to be a guard. Back in high school, before she shot up to 6’3”, she was breaking ankles on the perimeter. Then came that leg injury during her freshman year at Maryland. Surgery, a steel rod, a whole mobility change—that’s what moved her into the forward role. 

But those guard skills are still in her bag. And when asked about taking on a new position last week, she didn’t hesitate. Reese was all heart. “When I went in to college, I had to transition to being a post player. I’ve always been a player for the team. Every team I’ve been a part of, I’ve been a player for the team. When I went to Maryland, I was a player for the team and did what I needed to do. When I went to LSU, I was a player that did what the team needed and got to a championship, as people can see.”

“Coming here, obviously [Courtney Vandersloot] was out last game, coach emphasized, ‘I need you to play point guard sometimes.’ I’m willing to go whatever it is for the team,” Reese said. That right there is what makes Reese a franchise player. Not the numbers. Not the highlights. It’s the mindset. She’s all in. She’ll play the 1, the 3, the 5 – whatever it takes to win.

Now, with Marsh shaping this team around her and Cardoso, the Sky may have taken a loss to open the season, but their ceiling is still sky high.