How will the rookies adjust? 5 storylines to track during Chicago Sky training camp

CHICAGO, Ill. – Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has plenty on her desk to start her first season in Chicago.

After such a landmark year for women’s basketball, the Sky have a chance to play their own part in the sport’s growth with two of the most well-known rookies of the 2024 WNBA Draft in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

“You know the history of it all,” Weatherspoon told FOX 32’s Tina Nguyen in a one-on-one interview. “You know where you want it to go.”

The to-do list starting Weatherspoon’s first training camp isn’t simple. She needs to install her preferred offensive schemes, defensive rotations, figure out her playing rotations and establish her overall team message.

The last part, however, is the most important.

“The X’s and O’s are going to be easy,” Weatherspoon sad. “It’s going to be simple as long as your message is clear.”

Here are five storylines to watch during the opening week of Chicago Sky’s training camp this week.

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso’s adjustment

The WNBA has 144 roster spots for 12 teams. It’s statistically the most difficult league to play in among American professional sports.

Reese and Cardoso are most likely guaranteed two of those spots. They’re both talented. They both bring their needed presences as potential cornerstone players for the Sky.

How will they adjust to the speed of the game? That’s what training camp will be for.

Cardoso and Reese shouldn’t struggle too much with the speed of the game. They both played at insanely high levels in the SEC. But older and more savvy posts in the WNBA will be an adjustment.

The two will get their first test of that against the Minnesota Lynx this Friday in the preseason. That will be a first test for the Sky’s prized first-round picks that have ignited interest around the team citywide.

Can Chennedy Carter re-energize her WNBA career?

There is little doubt Chennedy Carter has the talent.

She was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft who has a career average of 12.7 points per game. In college, Carter averaged over 20 points per game in her three seasons at Texas A&M. She averaged 17 points per game her rookie year. In 2022, she averaged 8.2 points per game in 22 games off the bench and with two starts.

It’s all there.

Since that rookie season, injuries and disciplinary issues have taken her career off path. With the rebuilding Sky, she has a chance to re-energize her career with a team that could use the fire power.

Giving Carter a chance could pay off for the Sky. A fresh start with a team that’s got opportunities to give could mean filling a needed role down the line for Chicago.

How can Diamond DeShields best fit as a seasoned veteran?

Diamond DeShields is no stranger to the Chicago Sky unform. She won a WNBA Championship in one in 2021.

Now, it might have a little different feel to it.

DeShields is a versatile player. She’s athletic and she can shoot. Most importantly now, however, is that she’s a veteran. That’s important for Weatherspoon who wants to impart her own culture with the Sky in her first season in Chicago.

“It’s important for us to have an incredible culture,” Weatherspoon said.

DeShields can do that. She was a player that helped bridge the gap between Amber Stocks and James Wade back in 2019. Beyond her intangible value, she’ll need to find a way to figure into the Sky’s rotation.

As a wing player that can guard the perimeter and switch off in the post at times, DeShields will find out where she needs to be. It’s matter of where Weatherspoon needs her the most.

There’s no doubting Dana Evans has earned the chance to be the Sky’s staring point guard. She sat behind Courtney Vandersloot for two years and Courtney Williams last season.

But, what’s the harm in building competition at that position?

Lindsay Allen was signed in free agency and that will bring what should be the best position battle in training camp.

Allen started 20 of 29 games for the Lynx last season and averaged 4.5 assists per game. The Sky found success moving Williams to point guard, and it showed that trusting experience there is never a bad idea. But, Evans averaged more points per game last season (9 ppg to Allen’s 6.5 ppg) while coming off the bench.

Figuring the Allen-Evans position battle should be one of the more fun battles to watch in the offseason.

Can Brynna Maxwell find her niche?

The Sky have a shooter in Marina Mabrey. She shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season.

Maxwell is known for her shooting, too.

Granted, you can’t have too much of a threat from the perimeter. Especially if there’s a pathway to putting both Maxwell and Mabrey on the floor at the same time. That could equal premiere offensive spacing with the kind of post depth the Sky have.

Still, Maxwell needs to get through the Sly’s training camp first. If she does, her first season in the WNBA could come down to carving out her niche.

That niche might not be in the starting five, but with her ability to shoot and space the floor it wouldn’t be too ambitious to see her ceiling as a sixth or seventh woman as a rookie.

Early rotation thoughts

There are plenty of position battles to sort out and plenty of players to get up to speed.

The first preseason game against the Minnesota Lynx will tell us more, but the first rotation of the season could look something like:

PG: Dana Evans-Lindsay Allen

SG: Marina Mabrey-Chennedy Carter

Wing: Diamond DeShields-Brynna Maxwell

F: Angel Reese-Brianna Turner

C: Kamilla Cardoso-Elizabeth Williams

The forward and center positions could easily flip, depending on where Reese and Cardoso are in terms of their learning curve and professional development. Turner and Williams are also seasoned pros, too.