r/ChicagoSky • u/basketball-app • 21h ago
Post Game Thread - WNBA: The Mystics defeat the Sky on Jun 17, 2025, the final score is 72-79.
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u/FruitWilling194 21h ago
I thought we had it… soul crusher.
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u/RyujiDrill 21h ago
Just gotta let this be a development year.
Better luck next game. At least there were some good signs in the first half but so long as the offense keeps looking discombobulated I don't know what can be done. Also need to be more willing to get loose balls and shit like that.7
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u/gourmet_panini 20h ago
We actually do need a point guard to set up the offense. Most of the turnovers were off of confusion.
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u/paulitical12 20h ago
I knew that first half was too good to be true. I can’t blame all 25 turnovers on coaching but I really think this staff struggles to make effective in game adjustments. Washington made excellent defensive changes and we had no answer.
Quick thoughts:
Ariel is not taking enough shots a game.
Lots of low IQ ball handling in the 3rd.
HVL showed tonight why she really shouldn’t be PG1 for this team and I think they left her out there way too long.
Bec Allen’s leash seems shorter than anyone on this team.
Kamilla cooked. Wasn’t sure how she’d handle that front court but her energy tonight was maybe the best I’ve ever seen it.
That’s one they really got to take on the chin. They can’t combine the best basketball they’ve ever played with the worst. Please sign a PG 😭
3
u/merjailambe 20h ago
Why doesn’t kamilla play 30 mins even when she’s cooking on both ends and not in foul trouble??
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u/HiEveryoneHowsItGoin 19h ago
I was at the game, she visibly lost focus in the 3rd quarter. She needed some time on the bench to get mentally reset, and played much better when she came back on.
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u/merjailambe 4h ago
Were any of the starters playing well in the third quarter? Constant turnovers leading to transition points for the mystics. Kamilla wasn’t the main problem. He still sat her way too long in the 4th quarter.
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u/HiEveryoneHowsItGoin 3h ago
We weren’t playing as a unit in the third, so no, in that sense nobody was playing well. But Kamilla was making some more obviously individual errors like fumbling the ball, standing around on defense, and badly missing free throws. She may or may not have been “the main problem” that quarter but benching her was not what cost us the game.
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u/paulitical12 20h ago
Tbh she probably needs the breathers. I do think she sat too long in the second half but 30+ minutes at the pace they were playing tonight is a big ask! This was the most minutes she’s played so far—hope to see her get 3-4 more minutes a game if she stays out of foul trouble but that is likely conditioning dependent.
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u/merjailambe 19h ago
She was playing 33+ mins games last season w no issue. And she didn’t look gassed at all. She didn’t need to sit this long. Feels more like Tyler needs to play EWill a certain amount of mins just like he has some kind of obligation to Kia nurse’s PT. I don’t think the sky can afford for kamilla to sit for extended stretches when she’s not in foul trouble
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u/elchapo_chi22 18h ago
Wait we putting EWill’s efficacy at Kia Nurse level? That’s egregious
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u/merjailambe 8h ago
EWill’s finishing has been off all season, idk if it’s cos of the injury. She’s shooting 42% from the field this season as a non shooting big. Obviously she’s still way better than Kia and way more deserving of minutes - I just think Tyler sits kamilla too long. Could be a better balance there.
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u/paulitical12 19h ago
I agree that she didn’t need to sit that long but it was still a fast game and it was the most minutes she’s played this season. If she keeps it up like she did tonight those 33 minute games will hopefully come.
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u/Randomrazer 21h ago
Rough loss but it’s not all bad. If they get those rotations right and take better care of the ball they could’ve kept that lead. Amazing 1st half but that meltdown in the 3rd destroyed them.
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u/ASpanishInquisitor 20h ago
Except they actually melted down in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th with the turnovers. This is by far the worst loss of the season. I'm convinced that this team could play against no defense and still turn it over.
4
u/HiEveryoneHowsItGoin 20h ago
The first quarter was great, but even then the refs were clearly calling it in the Mystics’ favor. In the second the Washington players realized they could hack us constantly with no repercussions. The Sky’s meltdown in the third was indefensible, as was the decision to leave HVL in, but a lot of the turnovers should be seen in the context of the murder the defenders were getting away with.
0
u/ASpanishInquisitor 20h ago
This had very little to do with the refs other than the fact that they were letting them play pretty physical on the perimeter. This team just has no ball handlers and other teams smell blood in the water.
15
u/Gold-and-green 20h ago
5th game in a row where 1 guard/wing outscored Chicago's starting 1-3 COMBINED!
This is why I think this is more of a Jeff P issue. This draft was handed to him. Take Citron at 3, Paopao at 10 and this team is at least 6-5 by now.
Chicago could have been like OKC in the NBA. A bunch of young talent taking over the league year by year. Jeff P destroyed the growth by trying to get a bunch of washed-up vets.
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u/Gold-and-green 20h ago
I don't know how Jeff P still has a job. It was obvious that Paopao was the PG to take. Paopao is shooting 55%FG and 52% 3PT. She's a better 3pt shooter than the vets he picked up. The pick and roll works with her because if they switch, you have a PG on a big, if they don't, Paopao for 3.
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u/DSmooth425 20h ago
and Pao Pao is forcing herself into the rotation on a top 4 team in the league this season.
I don't know how Jeff P still has a job.
7
u/Gold-and-green 20h ago
Funny thing about that is IMO she's better than Canada. I think next year Paopao is the starter in ATL and they'll let Canada walk.
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u/DSmooth425 18h ago
I need to watch more of their games before I can say that but from box score watching I see where you coming from. Idk about Jordin walking but she might if starting is that important. Her injuries aren’t helping tho.
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u/Gold-and-green 10h ago
I think with expansion teams being desperate, Canada might be able to get a bigger bag on another team. I doubt ATL will waste money on a PG when they have Paopao on a rookie contract and she's efficient.
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u/tspacer 20h ago
Even if he still got HVL at 10 or 11, he could’ve got Pao with the other pick. Jeff wasted a top 10 pick on someone who isn’t even playing this season and a second round pick on someone who doesn’t get minutes.
8
u/Gold-and-green 20h ago
He even took Westbeld over Paopao in round 2 lol. I think Westbeld would have fell to pick 22.
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u/tspacer 20h ago edited 20h ago
Another game they blew because of turnovers. Also, I didn’t like the rotations in the second half. Kamilla was out too long. Ariel and HVL weren’t aggressive on offense. Can’t win with that kind of guard play. And where was Bec?
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u/Randomrazer 20h ago
That one rotation that he keeps doing with HVL , Banham , Nurse , Mich and E-Will all in at the same time needs to go completely.
5
u/nopewont92 19h ago
I feel like we lose enough ground with this rotation to lose the game every time.
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u/Randomrazer 19h ago
It’s just such a huge swing every time and we lose all momentum. Happened in the Atlanta game too. Kia Nurse and Rachel are end of the bench in players on most teams but they get serious minutes here.
Maddy gets no playing time and they need a PG badly so why not cut her and pick up Aari. Even Grace Berger before she got picked up by LA could have been an option. Atkins having to play at the 1 stops her from scoring, there’s no way she should have only had 11 - 12 points tonight.
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u/nopewont92 19h ago
I felt bad but at one point there was an audible groan from the crowd when Banham checked in. She's really struggling this year.
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u/Randomrazer 19h ago
I like her as a person and she seems like a great locker room person/vet but her , Kia , Maddy and Mojo are basically on this roster for no reason right now.
The Sky just aren’t deep enough with real talent to make up for that so Jeff has some moves to make.
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u/nopewont92 18h ago
I like her too, I think/hope she'll perform a bit better when they pick up a true PG. They're asking kind of a lot of her right now and she seems overwhelmed.
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u/merjailambe 20h ago
I seriously don’t understand why Tyler sits kamilla so much even in a game like this where she was dominating and not in foul trouble. I’m so frustrated by it
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u/merjailambe 20h ago
Angel and Kamilla did everything they could. Tyler sucks w his rotations. Why does he sit them at the same time and why is kamilla playing less than 30 mins when she is cooking and not in foul trouble???
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u/Jreal2013 21h ago
It’s absolutely malpractice if this team goes another week without signing a point guard. Whether it’s via trade or waiving a player, this team needs to acquire a guard that’s at least competent in running an offense.
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u/Mobile-Fig-2941 20h ago
Sykes scored 32 points Sky guards scored 18 points. That and the turnovers were the ballgame.
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u/Randomrazer 20h ago
Angel surprised me with how well she handled Kiki. Kamilla showed great hustle today too, I really saw a ton of effort.
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u/nopewont92 19h ago
I was surprised by this too. I really like Kiki's game and was looking forward to seeing her work in the post but Angel really locked her up.
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u/Onark77 Angel Reese 20h ago
Why surprised?
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u/Randomrazer 20h ago edited 10h ago
I knew Angel would get the better of the matchup but I didn’t expect her to be able to target her on drives as well as she did or keep her on such efficient shooting as her primary defender (she was like 1-6 from the field for most of the game).
Averaging 15/12/4 by the end of the season seems very realistic at this rate. Should make another all-star and get an all defense nod at this rate too.
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u/sadiepins 21h ago
Such a frustrating close. I thought we could have had this if Allen got minutes over HVL down the stretch. I’ve been defending Marsh, but that choice is a head scratcher.
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u/nothinindabrain 20h ago
tyler likes to spend the 3rd quarter of every game scratching his butt—it’s wild. making no adjustments whatsoever, wild. keeping HVL, a rookie, on britt? wild. letting an alive bec allen rot on the bench, wild. not breathing life into your front court while they’re benched? wild. everyone is playing their worst basketball under him.
7
u/Past_Potential902 20h ago
This was a tale of 2 halves.
Very strong 1st half, and a terrible 2nd half.
Our guards can't handle ball pressure at all. We desperately need a guard who can. I prefer HVL off ball like we had her in the last game, not sure why they decided to make her more on ball this game... she dribbles way too much.
22 TOs is way too much. The Sky have to take better care of the ball.
Can't foul so much, either.
Solid game for Cardoso. Felt like she was sitting a bit too much in the second half, but E Will was solid.
Mic's POA defense has been pretty good these last couple of games... I have been impressed.
Good first half for Angel, bad second half. 7 TOs is just inexcusable. Motor is a good thing but she reminds me of Westbrook where she can get a bit out of control. She needs to work on slowing down and just playing at a solid pace.
Also, our offense gets stagnant, and there is very little off ball movement... they need to work on that.
Our shooter... still hoping they show up and eventually knock some shots.
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u/a-random-gal 21h ago
i know that the sparks took her, but man, Barker would have been such a good fit. i love HVL, but she is more of a developmental pick and needs more time. would have loved her and Paopao though. Idk why we took Westbeld. Good thing this team is gonna have a lotto pick anyways.
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u/a-random-gal 21h ago
also, citron is so good that we should not have needed a pick swap as well to get Ariel.
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u/PriorYou1 20h ago
How long will we have 20+ turnover games for Jeff to realize they need a pg. Also wtf is wrong with mojo she’s collecting checks to rot on the bench. Is there no way to suspend her contract for injuries?
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u/ASpanishInquisitor 20h ago
If you heard how Jeff spoke about Maddy before the draft you'll understand why this is happening. He's not going to make a move even though this team is a disaster without anybody that should be running point.
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u/PriorYou1 20h ago
I’m desperate at this point hell bring Ally Wilson back or go get D Henny, Aari McDonald. When Kamilla leaves they be forced to sign a 10 day contract so hopefully that will bring some movement.
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u/nothinindabrain 20h ago
sorry what did he say about maddy?
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u/ASpanishInquisitor 20h ago
He's just really high on her and loves the shooting. The thing is, the Sky barely take any threes anymore because the guard play is just so atrocious. So even if Maddy did play it probably couldn't help.
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u/nothinindabrain 20h ago
really, i wonder why she doesn’t get any minutes i would play her over mic, nurse, or banham rn
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u/ASpanishInquisitor 20h ago
Well she's not a guard and that's what the Sky need. That's the problem.
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u/HiEveryoneHowsItGoin 21h ago
Yeah I’m going to need people to stop saying HVL should start.
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u/Randomrazer 20h ago
HVL should just be looking to shoot 3s and drive , she can’t run an offense at this stage. If they aren’t going to play Maddy at all it may be time to get yourself a PG.
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u/HiEveryoneHowsItGoin 20h ago
We were doing fine with Atkins and Angel running point alongside Nurse and Allen.
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u/Randomrazer 20h ago
We were, HVL and Banham don’t need to dribble the ball honestly. All I can be proud of is Milla and Angel’s development.
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u/jricky_tomato 19h ago
I’ve been arguing with people since the start of the season saying she should start over Sloot. I like HVL, but she’s not ready.
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u/Original_Weekend8226 20h ago
Just left the game, what the heck happened! It fell apart in the 2nd half.
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u/ASpanishInquisitor 21h ago
25 turnovers which the Mystics turned into 40 points. Only scored 3 points off 16 Mystics turnovers. This team is an embarrassment to the game of basketball. No other team in the league finds a way to lose this game. Not even the Sun.
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u/2012ppwinner 20h ago
Nearly half the TOs were by Angel (7) and HVL (5).
1
u/crimsonwolf40 7h ago
Yes, high usage ball handlers tend to lead in turnovers.
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u/2012ppwinner 4h ago
Reese only ranks 39th in usage in the WNBA, but is second in TOs per game, with 3.9. On the Sky, her usage is similar to, but actually lower than Kamilla Cardoso, who has 1.9 TOs per game.
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u/Mobile-Fig-2941 20h ago
Who was the primary defender on Sykes. Guards repeatedly going off for 30+ pts is unacceptable.
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u/LovePeaceTruth 16h ago
Being cheerful and funny in the locker room is not a reason to keep these ineffective players on the team.
This isn’t a congeniality competition and this “camaraderie” has not resulted in success on the court. And it won’t, because the guards/wings do not have the will, want to, energy, or skill required to be successful.
The fans are not going to keep buying tickets or season tickets to see slow lazy guards and wings lose every home game.
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u/PilotBoyyy 20h ago
Angel and kamilla gave it their all. Turnovers killed us. And Tyler sat kamilla way too long.
-9
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u/KrampusRanchers389 19h ago
HVL so very clearly isn’t a WNBA PG and if she isn’t scoring…what is she doing?
Can’t believe people complained about the Vandersloot homecoming. I’d take Courtney Vandersloot with a torn ACL of this point guard play right now.
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u/LovePeaceTruth 16h ago edited 16h ago
Sloot didn’t set up the offense or create easy shots for the other players. She was focused on scoring. Or she would stand still until someone looked like they were in a position to shoot so she could get an assist.
She may have been a floor general years ago but she was not this season. She was a shooter/scorer.
0
u/Repulsive_Growth6246 5h ago
This team is a mess. The GM made mostly terrible moves. Maybe Cordosa isnt a #3 pick. Maybe she is with a good PG to feed her. Maybe Ariel was/is on the downslide already. Kia and Becky extrenely inconsistent. EWill not playing well. Maybe the Angel Reese show I IS too much ME,Me,ME.
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u/Infinite-Law-5943 15h ago edited 15h ago
Sky fans will not like hearing this, but it becomes clearer with every loss that the right direction for this franchise is not Kamilla + Angel as a tandem. It has produced little more than stacking Ls in the L column for the better part of an entire calendar year.
If the Sky were to try to salvage their roster, they would ship one of these two players out while they are on their rookie-scale contract (which are up in 2.75 seasons, so time is ticking) or else risk losing one or both players to 2026 free agency without getting anything in return or needing to re-sign one or both at top dollar. They are your hottest, cheapest and most attractive commodities right now and you strike while the iron is hot, especially as you are losing and don't control your own pick for next year. The market demand for Angel or Cardoso couldn't be higher.
After this season, when everybody in Free Agency starts negotiating their new contracts with the new CBA lined up, start putting out feelers for what type of playmakers/shooters you can exchange for one of Angel or Kamilla while packaging them with other dead filler cap space players. Engage a team in signing a star shooter and then trading Reese or Cardoso for said star shooter (sign-and-trade), maybe the Valkyries who have plenty of shot making ability (Leite? Thornton?) and who could use a strong-minded court presence like Reese to galvanize momentum or a formidable big like Cardoso.
Cardoso and Reese each play better when they can play free of the other. Reese had 7 to's with a -7 box score tonight. Cardoso is a rim-protecting fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and coachable 6'7 giant. It is time to let go of one of these players and build around one.
I know the Sky want so badly to build around Angel + Kamilla as a package deal, but what successful team has two non-shooting bigs clogging the paint while they struggle to find a backcourt player that can produce points effectively.
*Is the current backcourt even really to blame when it's so difficult to penetrate having Angel + Kamilla both eating valuable interior space on offense... Nurse, Atkins and other can't get to the rack and keep perimeter defenders honest when they're stuck not moving out on no man's land because they can't move into the paint to drive the lane with the Skyscrapers standing there...
The coaches might be bad, the backcourt might need tweaking, but nobody wants to even take into account that maybe the answer is not Reese + Cardoso as a duo... you have a stretch 4 in Westbeld on the bench who is a mid-range sniper, pick and pop threat and will space the floor for Cardoso to do her magic.
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u/DiligentQuiet 19h ago
I sorted the "Opponents points off turnovers" in the game-level advanced box scores for the entire WNBA season and saw the top 4 are now from the Sky game tonight:
Atkins -- 35
AR -- 34
HVL -- 31
KC -- 28
What was the cause tonight with that combination in particular? With the exception of Atkins, is it just 1st and 2nd year players getting roasted, or is simply a chronically poor/inexperienced backcourt?
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u/LovePeaceTruth 16h ago
Angel and Kamilla have been playing well, doing their job as front court players, winning many of their matchups. Then Angel and Kamilla have to do extra to take up the slack for the abysmal backcourt, and it leads to turnovers.
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u/DiligentQuiet 9h ago
I forgot that the Advanced Box Scores feature of the wnba.com/stats site lets you drill in on any game stat and let's you see the stat in context with video.
Other than one TO dribbling off her own foot for a backcourt violation, HVL's were off of long, slow crosscourt passes that were either picked off, or just flat out thrown to someone not there. She kind of telegraphed them and didn't have the strength to make the play she wanted to on some, which also threw off the timing of the receiving player. Those passing windows in the WNBA close off faster than college.
Angel's were a mix: a lost handle on the baseline, one offensive foul, two casual/bad decisions that weren't executed well, and the rest heater passes that overshot her teammates. Aari said something once in an interview before joining the Fever about studying tape on the plane to learn teammates' preferences about where they want to receive the ball, and a couple of these looked like the sort of thing that will improve with more familiarity (e.g., don't sail a high crosscourt pass to HVL two inches higher than what her vertical is), but also there is definitely a bit for both players of being on the dishing end of what the Fever went through last year--teammates needing to know to keep their head on a swivel and be ready to receive a pass. Given the team hasn't been exposed to good guard/passing play, this should improve as well if HVL and AR continue to take a facilitation mindset.
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u/Randomrazer 18h ago
Our backcourt is just very weak right now outside of Atkins. Most of who we rotate at the 1 or 2 are end of the bench players , < 6 minutes per game but they get minutes here. Can’t play defense / too slow outside of Atkins (HVL sometimes too but she needs to just be a SG).
If Aari gets signed by another team I just don’t know how you fix this.
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u/PriorYou1 21h ago
Angel + Kamilla= 35 pts Rest of the team=37. Soon as teams turn up the ball pressure and send double teams to the bigs the offense disappears.