LAS VEGAS — The Sky are in a free fall.
Their collapse could not come at a worse time in the season, either. After Sunday’s loss to the Lynx and the Dream’s win over the Sparks, the Sky are now tied with Atlanta at eighth in league standings with just eight games remaining in the regular season.
“Obviously it’s tough,” Angel Reese said on Sunday. “This is the most losing I’ve ever done in my life. So it’s just being able to stay mentally positive through this. We all are, that’s the bright light of it. We still are in the playoffs.”
The Sky’s struggles extend beyond the absence of leading scorer Chennedy Carter.
Carter has been in health and safety protocols since last week and did not travel with the team to Minneapolis or Las Vegas. It’s unclear if she will meet the team ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Aces.
While her 17.2 points per game have been missed by the Sky over their last three games, her presence is not the parachute that will save this team from be ousted from the postseason.
There is a clear disconnect between players on the court. It’s been exemplified in numerous moments. Most recently, it showed up in guard Dana Evans waiving off point guard Moriah Jefferson in the Sky’s loss to the Lynx. Before that, it was the game broadcast catching rookie Kamilla Cardoso showing visible disagreement with the play coach Teresa Weatherspoon drew up in the final seconds of the Sky’s loss to the Aces on Aug. 25.
Last week, Weatherspoon said she wasn’t concerned about any division amongst the team.
“We don’t separate,” Weatherspoon said ahead of the Sky’s loss to the Mystics last week. “I think that’s what people try to see and talk about, but these kids don’t separate. I don’t even know where all of that comes from, but you’re going to hear a whole lot of different things.”
Carter’s absence has exposed to the Sky’s biggest problem beyond any division that may be festering.
Their offense has hinged mainly upon Carter’s ability to create, and their defense leading to easy transition offense. Without Carter, the Sky’s inside-out game has been the center of attention, starting with the team’s struggles with entry passes into the post. There’s also the fact that, in Weatherspoon’s words, the team has lacked “intention” in feeding the post.
Cardoso is averaging 12.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game since the Olympic break. She scored a career-high 22 points against the Lynx on Sunday. The rookie’s confidence has played a role in her improved impact, however, it’s also a response to Carter’s absence. The Sky have been forced to focus on this aspect of the game, which should have been the center of their offense from the beginning.
The Sky’s turnovers are the biggest problem they currently face in refining their inside game. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Sky are second in the league in turnovers.
“We’re trying to force the ball into places that we probably haven’t done in a long time,” Reese said. “Or things we should have been doing from the beginning of the season.”
Reese’s comments postgame were the latest indication of the growing disconnect amongst the team.
Of their eight remaining games, three are against the bottom three teams in the league. They currently have a 2-1 advantage against the Dream in head-to-head matchups, with one remaining on Sept. 17.
Considering the league’s tiebreaker rules — which first goes to the team with the better record in head-to-head matchups before then determining which team has the better win percentage against .500 teams or better if necessary — this game could end up being the deciding factor in the Sky’s playoff fate.