Quick Three: Fever 93 Sky 58
Indiana completes second half runaway as Chicago struggles offensively in the first game of the Tyler Marsh era.
Starting the season against an Indiana Fever team coming off a strong 2024 and a solid offseason was always going to be tough. Still, Chicago likely didn’t expect such a lopsided final score in their season opener. And while a 35-point margin somewhat overstates the Fever’s dominance, the Sky—who trailed by 10 to 15 points most of the second-half—never really threatened after a second-quarter stretch extended a three-point deficit to thirteen. There are some positives to take away, including offseason acquisitions showing promise and a mostly solid defensive effort. However, the main takeaways are disappointing ones, as the Sky fell short of the high expectations they created in the preseason. Let’s explore what changed, starting with the team’s shooting performance.
1. Sky Now, for Better or Worse, a ‘Make-or-Miss’ Team
After attempting three fewer three-pointers per game (14.9) than the next closest team (18.0) last season, it was no secret that Chicago aimed to increase its volume from beyond the arc this year. GM Jeff Pagliocca made signings and trades to add more shooting talent, Marsh was clear about his intention to get everyone involved from deep, and the preseason game tape showed a team confident in both taking and making three-point shots. Still, becoming a more three-point-heavy team means accepting that on nights when the shots aren't falling, you're likely going to struggle to win.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that the Sky—despite trending in the right direction in terms of volume (27 attempts today)—trailed by double digits for much of the game after converting just 6 of those. And while they struggled to hit from deep both before (25% 3PT) and after (18%) the intermission, there are still two very different takeaways when it comes to the quality of their shot selection. As evidence, take a look at these first-half attempts:
Overall, these are the kinds of looks Marsh will be content with. Despite shooting just 1-for-9 from three in the first quarter, the Sky’s new coach told ABC at the time that his team was getting “good looks” — they “just weren’t falling.” However, in the second half, things seemed to shift, as the open looks from the first twenty minutes gave way to more rushed spot-up threes — often early in the shot clock and with defenders no more than a step away. In many ways, that’s understandable. The game context prompted some of Chicago’s shooters to press in an effort to close the gap, and the lack of an interior presence (more on that in a moment) left outside shots as (seemingly) the only path to chipping away at the deficit.
Regardless, since the Sky intend to continue shooting a high volume of three-pointers, Marsh will undoubtedly keep emphasizing the importance of shot quality. As long as the team generates looks like those in the first half, he’ll be satisfied—and may even encourage them to shoot more. If the struggles from deep persist, a broader conversation about roster construction and the quality of shooters will eventually need to take place. But one game is far too small a sample size to warrant that discussion this early in 2025. For now, the Sky need to review the tape, highlight the possessions where they created quality looks for one another, and focus on replicating that level of execution going forward. If they can do that, Marsh and Pagliocca have to trust that, sooner or later, the shots will start to fall.
2. Lack of Paint Presence Dooms Chances to Stay Close
Even with their struggles from beyond the arc, there could still have been a path to victory if the Sky had managed to establish themselves inside. After all, Chicago’s roster—new shooters or not—is still built around two young post players who, in theory, should help create a dominant interior presence. The problem, then, was that Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard were able to disrupt everything the Sky tried to do in the paint. This late-game possession, in particular, perfectly exemplifies just how dominant Boston was:
After gliding past DeWanna Bonner in the backcourt, Reese creates a numerical advantage in transition—but the all-encompassing presence of Boston ensures that by the time Reese reaches the rim, neither she nor Elizabeth Williams is in position for a quality look. Reese opts to offload the ball, but Williams’ angle is immediately blown up. Before the play is over, Boston has altered another Williams attempt and tied up Reese (with a slight assist from Bonner, who recovers into the play). With no movement from the perimeter players, the Sky generate multiple looks—but none with a real chance of reaching the basket, let alone going through it.
This flow of play remained largely consistent throughout. Reese, to her credit, was able to find some rhythm early in the game, but Kamilla Cardoso (7 pts, 3/9 FG) was never established as a factor and took just one shot after halftime. Williams, similarly, scored only 1 point on 0/4 shooting, while the Sky’s reserve “combo-forwards”—Michaela Onyenwere (0/2 3PT) and Rebecca Allen (1/5)—struggled to hit shots that could’ve helped pull Boston and Howard out to the perimeter more effectively. As was often the case last season, the Sky’s lack of outside shooting cannibalized their ability to score inside. And this time, the reverse was also true, as the Fever’s perimeter defense tightened over the course of the game thanks to Boston and Howard’s ability to take care of business on the back line.
Few teams have a partnership as physically dominant and swarming as this Fever duo, but there’s still a clear takeaway for the Sky’s coaching staff from this game: they simply have to find a way to establish Cardoso in the offense. Reese, thanks to her otherworldly rebounding and ability to attack in transition, can usually get into a scoring rhythm without relying on designed sets. Cardoso, however, plays a different style and will sometimes need the ball fed to her to find her rhythm. That’s not to say Chicago didn’t try to get her the ball—they definitely did—but trying alone won’t be enough if the Sky want to reach their offensive potential. Allowing an opponent to completely freeze the Brazilian out of the game like the Fever did today will, more often than not, have a significant negative impact on the Sky’s paint scoring and overall offensive production.
3. Marsh + Vandersloot’s Impact Evident Despite Defeat
While the final scoreline was a hefty one to stomach, there are still a few obvious positives to take away from today’s defeat. First and foremost, Tyler Marsh has instantly brought the Sky up to speed with the rest of the league from an offensive perspective. Whether this roster can make enough shots to consistently win games with such a three-point-heavy philosophy remains to be seen, but you’d have to think Marsh deserves the benefit of the doubt if the only missing piece by the end of the season is more consistent shooting. The first-half offense, indeed, showed the fingerprints of a coach who can regularly get his team into productive positions, and the only real drawback was the team’s seeming drop in execution over the course of the second half.
As I mentioned in the preseason, a big part of consistently executing a new-look offense is maintaining good habits, and there was a definite drop-off in the second half. However, the first twenty minutes still looked more modern and organized than almost any game Chicago played last season. Like many, I had serious questions about the decision to move on from Teresa Weatherspoon at the time, but today’s game provided strong evidence of why a change was needed before more dysfunctional offensive habits could take hold of the Sky’s roster built around two young stars with heaps of potential.
And while Marsh deserves much of the credit for the philosophical shift, executing that shift certainly would have been much more difficult without Courtney Vandersloot at the controls. Yes, Vandersloot’s overall offensive output wasn’t ideal—she shot 2/9 and missed all of her (mostly wide-open) three-point attempts—but there was a clear difference in first-half execution with and without Vandersloot on the court. That difference might not be quite so pronounced once Moriah Jefferson returns from injury, but it was obvious with Rachel Banham (a more natural off-ball player thanks to her catch-and-shoot skills) leading the bench group. Whether Banham or any other player initiated the second unit offense, Chicago looked noticeably more rushed and unsure without their veteran floor general on the floor.
To take it one step further, the Sky seemingly struggled to move beyond their initial action without Vandersloot on the court. While many of Marsh’s sets had the right idea, a strong defensive team (which the Fever appear more like in 2025) or even one or two great individual defenders will always reject a certain percentage of your first-choice options in the half-court. When the Sky ran any group of players that didn’t include their veteran point guard, a rejection of the first option was almost as good as a stop for the Fever.
Whether the desired entry pass was cut off by Boston or Howard, or a drive’s momentum was stopped at or above the free-throw line, the non-Vandersloot line-ups seemed to run into a brick wall as soon as their initial move met resistance. In contrast, her presence gave the Sky an option to recycle the play and reset—even late in the shot clock. The shooting will need to improve (or else her involvement may create different problems), but Vandersloot’s calm hand at the controls and strong defensive performance—especially against Caitlin Clark—have made a clear statement of her intent and potential to provide positive value this season.