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2015 Record:
21-13
Lost in Eastern Conference Semifinals

Key Offseason Moves:
Re-signed Jessica Breland, Erika de Souza and Clarissa dos Santos

Draft Picks:
R1, P10: Imani Boyette, C, Texas
R3, P10: Jordan Jones, G, Texas A&M

The skies are sunny in Chicago for a playoff team that led the league in scoring behind the 2015 MVP, Elena Delle Donne.

Chicago had no problems on the offensive side in 2015, averaging almost 83 points per game — almost 30% of which came from EDD, who led the league in scoring by almost three points at 23.4 points per game. Delle Donne’s season was historic on a number of levels, including the following stats:

• Highest free-throw percentage ever (min. 100 FT attempts) at 95%
• Third highest PER ever at 32.7 behind only Lauren Jackson, who owns the Nos. 1 and 2 spots
• Scored a career-high 45 points against the Atlanta Dream on June 24th
• Averaged only 1.2 turnovers which was the least of the top 10 scorers in the league
• 3rd in the league in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (2.1)

She also had a very busy and entertaining offseason.

What does a player like Delle Donne need to improve on? According to coach Pokey Chatman, defense is the key. “I want Elena to be just as successful on the other side of the basketball,” Chatman said.

Opponents often target EDD when attacking the Sky in an attempt to get her into foul trouble. Chatman knows it’s difficult for a player of EDD’s size to guard on the perimeter in the WNBA, so she must improve her footwork and instincts while continuing to use her length to disrupt opposing offenses.

The improvements on defense carry over to more than just the star in Chicago, though. After her team gave up the second-most points in the league (78.8), Chatman explained how “it didn’t take much of a staff meeting to know what we needed to work on.”

For Chicago to take the next step in terms of playoff success, Chatman knows they must improve their defense: “We won’t be second to last defensively. When you become a better defensive team, it’s amazing how much better you become offensively, and this group doesn’t know that. And I think when they sense that and feel that they will understand. … This doesn’t make SportsCenter, it might not make the Top 10, but it helps you be the Top 1.”

One of the players that will be called upon to improve the defense and in particular protect the rim will be 6-foot-7 rookie Imani Boyette. Boyette has all the right genes as the daughter of former WNBA player Pam McGee and sister of current NBA player JaVale McGee. What will be Boyette’s role during her first season? “I see her role as a continuation of an area of play which she dominated in college,” said Chatman. “[I’m] not asking her to do anything she hasn’t established herself to do.”

Chatman also spoke on the mix of veterans and young players on the team which gives them a “nice core of players that represent so many different styles of play and compliment each other well.” The franchise kept its core group together in re-signing free agent former All-Stars Erika de Souza and Jessica Breland.

Seven-time All-Star Cappie Pondexter emerged as a key piece of that group after being acquired in a blockbuster traded before last season. Chatman said that she wants “Cappie to be Cappie” even more so in Year 2; her unique personality will continue to establish her as a vocal leader on the team, which could rub off on Delle Donne and point guard Courtney Vandersloot.

Chatman believes that Vandersloot in particular is finally realizing how good she can be after being selecting as one of the top 25 players to compete for spots on the Olympic roster. “Courtney has the ability to raise the level of everyone else,” Chatman said of Vandersloot, whose 5.8 assists per game last season led the league.

https://youtu.be/J3ob1hW4_xU

Supplementing a loaded starting lineup is the “captain of the second unit” — Chatman’s words — in guard Allie Quigley, the two-time reigning Sixth Woman of the Year. Quigley has evolved from a catch-and-shoot player to a play-maker leading the Sky’s bench brigade alongside Breland and Jamierra Faulkner.

The sky truly is the limit for Chicago. Delle Donne has lifted the franchise to new heights with its first three playoff appearances in her first three seasons. But 2016 will be all about contending for a championship, and the Sky are among the teams set up to do just that.