The Chicago Sky are a mess. A 7-17 start to the season? Definitely not what anyone had on their bingo card. And while injuries are a valid excuse, with four starters sidelined, including stars like Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins, the issues go much deeper than who is unavailable. Sure, you could blame Coach Marsh for this, but he alone isn’t the problem.
Heading into the season, the Sky front office made a big move by letting their top scorer, Chennedy Carter, leave. For a team that scored the second-lowest points per game with 77.4 last season, this was a move that raised eyebrows. Of course, they brought in players like Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot, hoping that their offense would get better this season. But has that helped?
Absolutely not. They’re putting up just 76.4 points per game right now, even less than last season. And to make things worse, Courtney Vandersloot, who was leading the team with nearly five assists a night, is done for the season with an ACL injury. Ariel Atkins is also sidelined. You can tell why this team is struggling so much.
The Sky took another tough hit today, getting blown out 95-57 by the Storm. For a team that usually prides itself on dominating the paint, they got outworked on the glass 39-31 and gave up twice as many points in the paint as they scored. At this point, with so many key players missing, you have to wonder. Could Coach Marsh have done anything better?
Not according to Elizabeth Williams, at least. The center has come out to coach Tyler Marsh’s defense and said, “It starts with us. I don’t think it’s anything Tyler’s doing, to be honest with you. We haven’t executed. We haven’t taken care of the ball. We have to be better, to be frank.”
Turnovers have been the Achilles’ heel for the Chicago Sky all season long. And while there’s been plenty of criticism aimed at Coach Marsh for how things have gone in the Windy City, maybe it’s time to cut him a little slack and blame the players more. The 9 players who played tonight for the Sky turned over the ball 20 times against the Storm, which led to 26 points.
Jul 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) drives to the basket against the Dallas Wings during the second half of a WNBA game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Coach Marsh was quick to voice his frustration over this issue as well, saying, “Our offense has struggled mostly due to our inability to take care of the ball. The offense works when the movement is there.” And he isn’t wrong. This has been a recurring theme throughout the season. They’re averaging a league-worst 17.4 turnovers per game this season.
Unfortunately, due to the absence of Vandersloot, Reese has been forced to become the primary facilitator of this team. And the result? Reese currently tops the league in total turnovers with 89. The effort is there, no doubt–she is currently the assist leader for the Sky, but it’s clear this offense can’t thrive with her having to do it all.
That said, without Reese, the Sky just aren’t the same team. You can bet Coach Marsh is counting the minutes until she’s back! So, when can fans expect her return? Well, there’s finally an update on her status.
Coach Marsh provides an injury update on Angel Reese
Angel Reese has been in the form of her life recently. She has averaged 18.2 points on roughly 53% shooting from the field while also grabbing 14 rebounds. And if you need proof of how much she means to the Sky, just check the results. In the two games she’s missed this season, Chicago has been outscored by a staggering 75 points. That’s how crucial she is to this team.
Tyler Marsh was asked to provide an update on her injury status, and this is what he had to say: “Angel is day-to-day. Pretty sore this morning and didn’t want to mess with it being a back issue. We’ll see how she is on Sunday.”
It remains to be seen when the Bayou Barbie can come back and join the squad. But one thing is getting clear with every match, there are clear issues within the Chicago Sky team and you wonder if these can actually be rectified through coaching or will the front office have to make some trades? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments down below.
The post Angel Reese’s Teammate Defends Chicago Sky Coach, Blames 9 Players After Blowout Loss to Storm appeared first on EssentiallySports.
