Angel Reese’s season is done, but the Chicago Sky’s isn’t. The question now is whether Chicago has three more games to play … or more.
A post-Olympics swoon has the Sky out of playoff position for the first time since July 1, with eight losses in their last 10 games. They are in ninth place despite being tied with the Washington Mystics due to the season-series tiebreaker, and the Atlanta Dream are one game behind. Chicago finishes the season against Phoenix, at Atlanta and at Connecticut.
Of course, a debate remains about whether making the playoffs is even the best course of action for the Sky. Dallas owns swap rights with Chicago’s first-round pick, but missing the playoffs could get the Sky as high as second in the 2025 draft, whereas making the postseason would presumably push them back to sixth since Golden State is expected to have the fifth pick.
With the lottery upside of missing the playoffs and Chicago currently sitting on the outside looking in, chasing the postseason might seem foolhardy. But the Sky have competed for a playoff spot for the entire season and the team’s mindset hasn’t changed.
As Chennedy Carter said emphatically in her return from health and safety protocols: “I want to make a run, I’m here to do that, let’s f—ing do it. Let’s…
