Overview:
The Chicago Sky are figuring out how to deal with three veteran point guards.
CHICAGO – When Courtney Vandersloot stood at the scorers table on June 26, a loud cheer erupted among the Chicago Sky fans at Wintrust Arena. One year and 19 days had passed since the last time they saw her on the court in a Sky uniform, and they were thrilled for her return.
“I was just so excited to get out there. Once I got on the floor and I was warming up, it was all such a familiar feeling,” Vandersloot said. “I think the anticipation was the hardest part, and so I just wanted to get those first minutes kind of out of the way. I’ve been working for a year for that exact moment. I was just, just ready to be out there.”
Vandersloot tore her ACL on June 7, 2025, and had to rehabilitate her leg for more than a year to return. She did it in a win over the Portland Fire. In just under 14 minutes, Vandersloot scored 10 points and dished seven assists.
Her return was a welcome sight for the Sky, who are 6-13 and have been beset with injuries. But it also set up a dilemma for Sky coach Tyler Marsh.
The Sky signed Skylar Diggins and Natasha Cloud in the offseason. Both of them have played as starting point guards at points in their careers, while Vandersloot has been the Sky’s point guard for most of her career.
Short of talking to Dr. Frankenstein to meld three point guards into the perfect point guard, how will Marsh figure out how to use these three point guards to get the Sky back in the win column more often?
So much of the answer to this question is unknown because the Sky haven’t had a team at full-strength yet this season. They are still missing DiJonai Carrington, who is inching closer to her Sky debut.
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With Vandersloot, the team have had two games and a few practices. Vandersloot is still on a minutes restriction, and the team’s rotations are still a work in progress.
“The only constant we’ve had is change, where we have people in and out, in and out, so I don’t think we’ve had one rotation where we had the same from game to game,” Diggins said.
The Sky are 1-1 with their full set of point guards. The win over Portland was a record-breaker, as Chicago’s 124 points was the most in franchise history.
“There were moments that were good and moments that we have stuff to work on. Just kind of getting a feel on who and where takes the ball, where, what are we running, what works with this lineup, and those type of things takes reps,” Vandersloot said on Friday. “I think our communications are really high level and that helps. I think that helps every lineup is out there, really communicate and can take command of the team. I think there’s obviously room for improvement, and we’re going to find out what works for us.”
The second was a loss to Las Vegas. While Chicago kept pace with the defending champions in the first quarter, the team’s offense slowed down as the game went on. Cloud, Diggins and Vandersloot combined for 18 points.
Since all three players are veterans, they are ready to adapt to the changing needs of the team, knowing that playing time may ebb and flow.
“I’m just gonna continue to play my game. Having Sloot back is amazing,” Cloud said. “We’ve been down with injuries, adversity, so having another point guard on the floor and someone to really get us the ball is going to be great on the floor.”
Considering where Diggins has played previously, she is comfortable playing on or off ball.
“I played with Diana Taurasi for three years, and she primarily handled the one. I played with Odyssey Sims for three years in Dallas, she primarily handled the one. I was in two, so I don’t have any problem being a combo guard,” Diggins said. “I think it actually could help me free me up and maybe give me some easier looks … Hopefully adding Slooty to the mix can kind of help me get off the ball and kind of help me get some cleaner looks.”
The Sky will embark on a nine-day, four game road trip starting with a game against Las Vegas on Friday. It’s the kind of trip where they can work on growing together as a team, and where they can try to make progress on the team’s goal of making the playoffs.
