Welcome to Basketball Insider, presented by The BIG EAST Conference. Sometimes it feels like even when the Chicago Sky do the right thing, they still struggle to benefit from it. So it went on Sunday, when Rickea Jackson fell to the floor with what turned out to be an ACL tear in her knee, costing her the 2026 season.
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In what was a spirited bit of general managing, Jeff Pagliocca dealt Ariel Atkins, post-coring, to Los Angeles for Jackson. The idea behind the trade for the Sparks was adding Atkins to a win-now core, and that is just not happening so far. Los Angeles is 1-3, their 121.3 defensive net rating is worst in the league, and Atkins is averaging 5 points per game.
To be sure, Atkins is still a solid player, though the seven-figure deal for the next three years may not age well. Jackson is clearly a better player now, and still on her rookie deal. Chicago is off to a 3-1 start and she’s been a critical part of that success.
The downcast postgame on Sunday from head coach Tyler Marsh and company reflects just how big a loss this is. And it’s bigger than just a player, really: Chicago needs a face of the franchise in the post-Angel Reese era, and Jackson offered a chance at a young, high-ceiling answer to the question of who draws fans to Wintrust Arena.
The Sky have plenty of talent, but generally of the veteran variety, from Natasha Cloud and Skylar Diggins, to critical supporting players like Elizabeth Williams and Rachel Banham. They also lack anyone who can really do what Jackson did: simultaneously serve as a potential defender of bigger wings while stretching the floor until Azurá Stevens returns. Even then, the path to postseason relevance likely relied on lineups with both of them.
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This is not to suggest that all is lost for the Sky. That worst-to-first defensive jump so far (we see you, assistant coach Latricia Trammell!) could prove durable; Gabriela Jaquez is as advertised (at least if you listen to Jackie Powell on the podcast); and Jacy Sheldon is finally playing at the level I told you this past offseason that she would with regular extended minutes. They remain one of the most watchable WNBA League Pass teams.
The ceiling, though, took a major hit.
“Rickea was playing at an All-Star and All-Defensive level early in the season. We are certain she was primed for a career year,” Pagliocca said in a release announcing her injury update. This is not hyperbole.
My heart breaks for Rickea, who has worked so hard to maximize her opportunities at both the collegiate and pro levels, and finally found herself in the spot to capitalize. Her most common teammate on the floor this year, Kamilla Cardoso, now needs to reset as well.
Pagliocca had maneuvered his roster into a combination of talented vets and the 3-4-5 picks in the 2024 draft. It just serves as a reminder: in this league, the competition is so good that merely operating as you should isn’t enough. It is necessary to be lucky, too.
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