UNCASVILLE, Connecticut — The Sky were battered and bruised and barely holding on as they entered their final regular-season game against the Sun on Thursday.
Injuries plagued the team all year, and the final injury report read like a long bill, the total of which proved far too costly to absorb. Without rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso and leading scorer Chennedy Carter, the Sky were a shadow of their former selves.
The Sky’s hopes of a sixth straight playoff berth were dashed with their 87-54 loss to the Sun, officially entering the WNBA draft lottery and ending coach Teresa Weatherspoon’s first year with a 13-27 record.
“We lost a lot,” Weatherspoon said. “We lost a lot because everyone was out. Without the injuries, I think we definitely would have been in the playoffs and not fighting for eighth place.”
Dana Evans led the team in scoring with 14 points, and Isabelle Harrison finished with a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Kaela Davis, who the Sky signed on a hardship contract after Reese’s injury, scored 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks.
The Sky have only played two games this season with a healthy squad.
Cardoso began the season on the bench with a shoulder injury. Two games after her return, center Elizabeth Williams suffered a torn meniscus in her right knee and was out for the rest of the season.
The Sky looked most complete – without Williams – for a brief period after the Olympic break, and even then they struggled to win, losing 1-8 straight after the break – Carter was absent for four of those games – and ending the season on a five-game losing streak.
“We didn’t execute,” Weatherspoon said. “We weren’t the healthiest team in the second half. We had a couple of players who weren’t feeling well at all who gave it their all. But we didn’t challenge ourselves. They went out on the field and tried to play anyway and gave it their all.”
Because the Wings own the rights to a pick swap with the Sky – a result of the Marina Mabrey trade completed by former Sky coach/general manager James Wade – the No. 2 pick is the best they can get. The Sky’s top targets include UConn guard Azzi Fudd, Notre Dame guards Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles, and LSU forward Aneesah Morrow.
The Skys’ main priority this season, however, will be improving their long-range shooting, something GM Jeff Pagliocca will work on in free agency. They finished the regular season last in the league in three-point shots made, totaling 193 in 40 games.
Rachel Banham has shown promise, hitting 13 of 28 three-pointers in her last three games, but the Sky need a viable option in their lineup to create space on the court.
The Sky have six players under contract for next season after Pagliocca signed a contract extension with Elizabeth Williams. Reese, Cardoso, Banham, Moriah Jefferson and Lindsay Allen have contracts until 2025. Carter, Evans and Michaela Onyenwere are restricted free agents.
Pagliocca will have just over $800,000 in salary cap space, assuming Williams’ new contract is worth a similar amount to her last one.
“I hate losing,” Weatherspoon said. “I hate it. That’s what’s bothering me. I hate knowing I can’t go back to the gym tomorrow with these young ladies. I love this game so much that losing upsets me like hell, but it motivates me and it will motivate this team.”
