Chicago Sky Season in Review: Alanna Smith
Recapping the breakout season of the Sky’s all-around Aussie.
Continuing through December 18th, I’ll have a weekly post reviewing one member of the Sky’s 2023 season each Monday. Each post focuses on three positives from the player’s season and one thing I’d like to see more of from them next year. Think of it like a (highly positive) end of season report card. You can view past reviews here.
It feels like a tired refrain as we approach the end of this series, but Alanna Smith was another huge surprise during the Sky’s 2023 season. She had obviously shown ability at previous stops, but you never expect a player who was cut the season before to be a highly-productive starter on a playoff team just a year later. Big Lan, however, is not limited by anyone’s expectations. Let’s recap the areas that shone through most from an overwhelmingly positive (MIP worthy) debut season in Chicago:
1.Versatility
In the early months of the season, the other four Sky starters all started to form into pretty defined roles. Elizabeth was the defensive anchor, Kah was the two-way star, Marina was the volume scorer and Courtney was the floor general with three-level scoring potential. As a result, whoever would become the long-term option at power forward needed to offer contribution in a variety of areas to help the team succeed. A dominant scorer, for instance, probably wouldn’t get the touches needed to flourish. An elite rim protector’s skills would almost certainly overlap with Elizabeth’s. In that way, Alanna Smith’s versatility made her the perfect fifth starter for the 2023 Sky.
Instead of dominating one area of the game, Smith brought solid contributions across the board that significantly raised the Sky’s ceiling when she was on the court. Her shooting (29.4% 3PT) was just enough to space defenses out for Kah’s drives while her game around the basket (more on that below) sufficiently supported the Sky’s ability to score in the paint. Outside of those ‘skill’ based categories, Smith brought the extra effort in the ‘hustle’ based categories (rebounds, deflections, steals) that the Sky needed to supplement the skills of their starters in those areas. Her willingness to go for every loose ball, contest rebounds that might otherwise seem a lost cause and jump in front of a play in transition at risk of taking a blow helped her offer the Sky little contributions that, in the context of the team’s overall skillset, were massively important. That attitude and effort means that, even if teams doesn’t believe in Smith’s all-around game (which they should), she can still expect to see some pretty handsome offers when free agency opens in February.
2. Scoring Skill Around the Basket
Effort is obviously important and I admire Smith for how she lays it all on the line, but I think her relentless playstyle sometimes belies just how skilled of an offensive player she is. The 3-point shooting is solid, and her shooting stroke in the mid-range is reminiscent of some great mid-range bigs of years gone by. However, it’s her finishing around the basket that really caught my eye. She has all of the moves you’d expect from a great big including a solid drop step and a soft touch for finishing off the glass — both of which give her a very high floor as a post scorer. Her ceiling, however, is raised by the additional moves she pulls out of her bag for finishing over, around and through contact. It’s obvious from watching her move with the ball in transition that Alanna is a solid ball-handler, and that skillset translates into her guard-like ability to finish with scoop shots, floaters and off-balance layups around the bucket.
When forced to throw up a shot or faced with a defensive coverage she knew she could exploit in 2023, Smith produced some spectacular finishes around the rim, but she was probably overly unselfish given her place in the team’s hierarchy. With a well-deserved pay rise and an established role as one of the team’s key players in 2024, I expect to see the assertiveness Alanna brings in Europe translating into the W. The more opportunities Smith gets, the more rhythm she’s likely to develop. Rhythm will lead to increased confidence which will only embolden her to take more shots of all difficulties. With all that said, I believe the skillset Smith has displayed easily makes her a candidate to be a 15+ PPG scorer in the WNBA with the right volume. On top of that, every marginal increase in three point percentage from her current rate will alter how teams defend her at the other two levels, and I think her stroke is good enough to take a further step forward in that area.
3. Physical Balance
Two of the areas where Alanna shined most last season were as a help defender and in transition. In both cases, her physical profile makes her a nightmare for opponents. As a help defender, she obviously reads the game well but also has the lateral quickness to close gaps and the wingspan to narrow the ones she can’t close in time. In transition, she has enough acceleration to get out in front of the defense and score or, conversely, to keep up defensively when an opponent tries to push the tempo. The ball handling I mentioned above is also a huge asset in transition as she can turn up the floor after rebounds and start the break herself without finding a playmaker like Courtney or Dana to organize things. Despite having all those traits typically attributed to lighter, more agile players, Smith still packs plenty of strength into her 6'4" frame, and is not easily backed down by anyone in the W.
On the subject of ‘balance’, Smith’s emotional balance also really impresses me. It’s easy to chalk it up as the typical easy-going Aussie demeanor, but Alanna seems to possess a unique ability to argue a call vehemently during a dead ball but let it go as soon as play resumes. Putting aside good and bad outcomes to focus on the next play was a season-long process for the Sky as a whole, but I think Smith was certainly among the first to bring the right attitude in this area. At the end of the day, there’s zero issue with arguing a call (and I think Lan was hard done by with many of the whistles against her), but you have to be able to move on quickly. Whether because of her nation’s general demeanor, the bumpy path she took to this role in the W or something else entirely, Smith did a great job of staying in the game mentally even when things weren’t going her way.
What I’m Looking for From Smith Next Season:
Her holding a Sky jersey announcing a long-term extension.
I mean, seriously though. I’ve heard a lot of talk about other options, but there’s no player who’s going to fit what the Sky are doing in the way that Alanna does. The cost may be steep, and I understand that will have consequences for other areas of the roster. However, those sacrifices are probably more justified when you consider the Sky are only just beginning to access Smith’s potential — particularly on the offensive end. With a settled future and a defined role as one of the team’s stars, I can only assume we’d see a better (or at worst the same) version of Alanna next year.
In terms of where I think we could see Smith get better, marginal improvement across the board is likely her best target. Aside from occasionally getting into foul trouble, there was very few elements of Smith’s game that could be pointed to as weaknesses last season. As an all-around player, she was one of the best in the league, and the only gap between her current status and being widely considered one of the league’s best all-arounders is doing it consistently for 2–3 seasons, perhaps, with slightly more offensive output (which is largely down to volume). Those 2–3 seasons where I highly anticipate she will successfully establish herself in that discussion will also span the life of the contract she’s about to get. If Smith can steadily improve in a couple of key areas (say a few extra rebounds and blocks and a slightly higher 3P%), she has legitimate all-WNBA potential. I’m not saying she’ll get there, but we all understand the financial incentive that will come with her next deal in 2025 or 2026 if she can continue steadily adding to her already comprehensive abilities.