The most recognizable player in the Sky’s history was at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, but she wasn’t wearing a blue-and-gold uniform.
Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne returned loud and proud to Chicago to face her former team. She dropped a game-high 22 points and had seven rebounds in nearly 33 minutes.
In the end, the Mystics defeated the Sky 81-74. It was the second time this season the Mystics beat the Sky, who are 0-8 against Delle Donne since she was traded in February 2017.
What is it about the Mystics — and perhaps Delle Donne — that make them so unbeatable?
Coach James Wade was over the discussion before it even began.
“They’re not the same team, it’s a different year,” Wade said after the game. “And we’ll see them again. Just note that and stop talking about the past, it’s not the same team and they’re not either.”
The Sky have had several good players on their rosters over the last few seasons. But no player has amounted to the same level of stardom that Delle Donne did when she was with the team.
It’s been more than two years since Delle Donne forced a trade so she could be closer to her family in Delaware. And Wade is right, the Sky have undergone some serious reconstruction after Delle Donne’s departure.
Guards Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot and Jamierra Faulkner and forward Cheyenne Parker are the only four players who played with Delle Donne in Chicago. The Sky have also had two coaching changes and moved venues from Allstate Arena in Rosemont to Wintrust Arena in South Loop.
But while Delle Donne, the league’s most valuable player in 2015, continued her dominance in Washington D.C., the Sky have struggled to fill the void she left — or at least that was the case until this season.
After underachieving the last two seasons, the Sky look like they’re finally turning the corner in Year 3 without Delle Donne. And there’s even whispers that the Sky, who are ranked third in the WNBA, could make it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
After the game, Delle Donne tipped her cap to the new-and-improved Sky. She was impressed with their intensity.
“Having a new coach [like Wade], they’re playing differently,” Delle Donne said. “They’re really tough offensively, he has them running a lot of great sets with shooters everywhere and they’re spacing well. They’re running the floor really well, so I think he’s done a great job so far.”
But Wade expected a better effort from his team than the one it gave against the Mystics. The Sky allowed 17 points off 17 turnovers.
“That’s the only thing I can point to that really took us out of the game,” said Wade, who also called the Sky “careless with the ball.”
And next time, Wade said the Sky will break the cycle against the Mystics.
“We just have to execute the game plan,” Wade said. “We will next time, I promise.”
Contributing: Khobi Price
