2024 Chicago Sky Player Report Card: Banham, Jefferson, Turner + Williams
Reflecting on the seasons of the Sky's unsung heroes: late arrivals, early departures and bit part bench players.
While every player would love to have a sizable role, the reality of a WNBA roster is that some players, inevitably, will have to take a back seat. Today’s group of players took a back seat in the context of the Sky’s 2024 season for a number of reasons. Some were late arrivals in the Marina Mabrey trade who saw variable roles after arriving while others were with the team from the start but missed considerable time due to injury or rotational congestion in their position group. Let’s dive into abbreviated season recaps for the four regulars that finished the season with the fewest minutes played—including highlights of their play and what they’ll hope to change for the better in 2025.
Rachel Banham
1. Three-point Shooting
After the Marina Mabrey trade, the Sky shot 45 fewer threes (2.8 per game) than the next closest team in the W and an astounding 169 fewer than the Liberty’s league-leading total of 419. Of the 250 the Sky did take, 76 were taken by Banham—a figure good for 30.4% of all volume. Her 29 makes account for an even greater share of the team’s totals (34.5%), and, while she didn’t live up to Mabrey’s insane first-half influence (51% of makes, 46% of attempts), Banham was actually more efficient (38.2%) in a Sky uniform than Mabrey was (35%). That’s not to suggest Banham was better or more important than Mabrey, but that wasn’t a practical expectation for her upon arrival in Chicago anyways. Instead, it’s to say that—without Banham—the Sky would’ve had virtually no three-point threat outside of Michaela Onyenwere. For a team that was already short on spacing, it’s easy to understand why a player like Banham was essential to Carter, Cardoso and Reese having any chance of scoring inside. Assuming she survives the Golden State expansion draft, expect Banham to be just as key in that context in 2025.
2. Off-ball Navigation
When you’re the team’s primary three-point threat, spot-up shooting will only get you so far. A shadow from one elite perimeter defender can phase you out of a game entirely, and—at worst—the opposing coach can use a variety of team defensive concepts to ensure you don’t get high-quality shot opportunities. Later in the season, the Sky had fewer and fewer offensive options, and Banham got more-and-more designed plays—both by virtue of her good shooting numbers (43% after 9/6) and the need for overall scoring. What came from that was her best performances in a Sky uniform—including back-to-back games of 5 or more made threes on 45%+ efficiency. The Sky’s coaching staff probably didn’t generate as many looks as they could (or should) have from these designed plays for either Banham (or Mabrey); so, one focus for the new coaching staff has to be implementing and running more sets that help free up the team’s best shooters.
2025 Goal: A Role Matching Her Skillset
I keep mentioning Mabrey but, simply put, that shouldn’t be the context that we talk about Banham in. For all that Banham is as a player, she’s much more three-point specialist than all-around offensive force like Mabrey. The Sky, by virtue of a trade that heavily favored Connecticut, inadvertently forced Banham into that role at times, and the results were not good. Later in the season, Banham was in a more natural role and, even as her volume rose by necessity, her shot profile and usage was in no way similar to Mabrey’s from earlier in the season. Roster changes ahead of 2025 should improve the team, and one outcome of any tweaks should be Banham sliding back into a lower-volume role where she can deliver the impact her game is best tailored to provide.
Moriah Jefferson
1. Work in Pockets
I mentioned this after a game earlier this season, and it stands out as one of the lasting impressions of Jefferson’s time in Chicago given she played only 124 minutes after arriving in July. When Jefferson works her way into a crowded lane, she seems to have a knack for finding the right pass out. Again, small sample size given she played so few minutes but still something the Sky will be in need of as long as their roster is so dependent on paint scoring. Changes to the roster should alter the dynamics of the Sky offense next season, but they’re still likely to see opponents pack the paint with some degree of regularity—meaning a player who’s comfortable navigating those tight spaces could have great value.
2. Assist Numbers
Adjusted for playing time, no one on the Sky averaged as many assists as Jefferson did in 2024. In fact, her average assists per 36 minutes was the highest of her career (7.0) after the trade—edging out her 2022 season with the Lynx. After Lindsay Allen—who averaged 5.9 assists per 36, there were few pass-first players on the Sky roster. Mabrey, Chennedy Carter and Dana Evans are all combo guards (who slant heavily towards scoring), and Kysre Gondrezick was the only other player to average 4+ assists per 36 in a Chicago uniform this season. It’s unclear what role Jefferson will have in 2025, but she was, at the very least, productive as a facilitator when on the court this season.
2025 Goal: Establish Rhythm
Jefferson will make 50% more than any other player currently under contract for the Sky in 2025—which likely comes as a surprise given how small her role was at times last season. Yet, it’s important to remember that Jefferson got that hefty contract for a reason. She steadily improved in her early W tenure—up to and including the aforementioned 2022 season with Minnesota where she averaged 10.8 PPG on 47.4% 3PT alongside 4.9 APG. That led to the Mercury giving her the pricey deal she’ll complete in 2025, and her 2023 play wasn’t all that bad—though the three-point efficiency inevitably came back to earth. However, a new team in 2024 curtailed her role before an injury made things even more difficult. When she eventually did return to the court after arthroscopic surgery, she was on a third team in six months. Given Dana Evans was already struggling to get time on court, another guard joining the rotation was never too likely, and Jefferson never got a chance to establish rhythm post-injury or with her new team. In order to get back to her best, Jefferson needs time to play—simple as. I’m not sure she’ll get that chance in 2025, but any team that wants to get the best from her will need to let her recapture the rhythm that she developed in 2022 & 2023.
Brianna Turner
1. Attitude
Given how impressive of a defender Turner was from 2020-23, she would have been well within her rights to be frustrated with the role she was given in 2024 which saw her play just 27 games and 253 minutes total. Instead, she displayed a great attitude throughout the course of the season and was ready every time she was called upon—including later in the season when she started two games. By staying ready, she was able to perform near her typical level—even without the time on court she’d gotten in previous years. Among regular players, Turner was third on the Sky in defensive rating (103) with only Elizabeth Williams (100) and Angel Reese (102) recording a better figure.
2. Defensive Range
Again, this is something we saw only in bits and pieces, but Turner is still as versatile a defender as ever. For a player with such a slim frame, she’s very strong, and her lighter physical profile allows her to move around the court about as well as any 6’3” player league-wide. None of this is to suggest she’s a lockdown perimeter defender (nor should a team ask her to be), but it’s a great luxury for a coaching staff to know that their bigs can step out to guard their opposition at the three-point line in an era where floor-spacing bigs are an increasingly common offensive weapon league-wide.
2025 Goal: Find a Better Situation
Turner is too good not to play more. The depth of the WNBA means these types of situations are inevitable (only~100 players can expect regular minutes), but the continued expansion in the years ahead should hopefully mean there are fewer players of this caliber getting DNPs. Chicago’s 2024 context meant Turner, unfortunately, was always going to struggle for playing time, and the strong performance of the Sky’s rookie front court made the path to a reliable role even more difficult to navigate. For that reason, I wouldn’t expect Turner back in Chicago in 2025—with plenty of contending teams likely keen to pursue a player who could perfectly augment their existing rotation of bigs at the defensive end. As Turner showed this season, she’s still capable of performing if/when minutes come her way.
Elizabeth Williams
1. Defense
As mentioned above, Williams was the Sky’s best player in terms of defensive rating last season, and it was pretty evident before her injury that there was very little drop off in her performance after 2023’s all-defense campaign. Playing with Alanna Smith in the ‘23 season was a definite luxury, but the addition of Angel Reese seemingly created an equally strong duo for the 2024 team. Unfortunately, the Sky never got the chance to see that duo continue to build chemistry, but the extension Williams signed suggests she’s keen to continuing building a strong tandem with Reese on the interior in 2025. With Reese handling some of the W’s toughest 1-1 match-ups (Collier, Wilson, etc.), Williams should be even more free to focus on protecting the rim in 2025—with her pre-injury blocks numbers in ‘24 not far off the best of her career.
2. Improved Rebounding
Chicago struggled mightily on the glass in 2023, and Williams averaging the fewest boards of her career (adjusted for playing time) definitely played a part in the overall struggles of the team. Analytically, it was also not a good season as Williams’ rebounding percentage (11.5%) was the second lowest of her career and considerably lower than her 2022 mark (15.3%) in Atlanta. With an all-world rebounder like Reese joining her in the front court, it wasn’t immediately clear what the impact on Williams’ performance would be. On one hand, a front court partner who can rebound the ball attracts attention from opponents in box out situations. On the other, Reese often finds a way to collect boards anyways. Who corrals the rebound, of course, isn’t important to Williams or Reese as long as it’s someone in a Chicago jersey, but the impact on Williams’ individual numbers was definitely something I was keen to track entering 2025. And in Williams’ pre-injury sample size, the results were good for all involved. Her overall mark jumped back up to 14.4%, and she was particularly impressive at the defensive end where her 18.2% mark was amongst the best rates of her career. Given how much the Sky relied on rebounding the ball in 2024 (and how strong Cardoso was in Williams’ absence), Williams continuing to perform at this level will be key to her complementing the two second-year players in 2025.
2025 Goal: Full Health
In 2023 and the early parts of 2024, Williams was playing some of the best basketball of her WNBA career. If she can return to full health following a difficult injury recovery, it’s reasonable to think she can return to that level in relatively short order given she’ll still only be 31 when the 2025 season tips off. Continuing her rehab with a franchise where she’s already built continuity should be of great benefit, and the presence of Cardoso and Reese means she can ease her way back into the rotation next season while they take on a heavier share of the team’s front court minutes. With time and patience, I anticipate the Sky will see Williams creep back towards her best by the end of next season—even after recovering from an incredibly taxing injury.