Chicago Sky draft needs season preview: A team with great guards needs post help

The Chicago Sky finished last season at 20-14, and were the second-most efficient offense in the WNBA. The problem was they couldn’t stop enough teams with the eighth-best defense, and need to get better and bigger on the post. The backcourt of a deep playoff team is here, but they need help up front to get stops in a league filled with elite inside-outside players like Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart.

If you don’t have someone that can guard four-out and five-out, you’re going to struggle no matter how good your guards are. And the Sky have excellent backcourt players, but they need some help.

WNBA title odds: 12/1 (DraftKings Sportsbook projected odds)

Offseason moves

The biggest move of the off season was a swap of former UConn teammates, as Katie Lou Samuelson was traded to the Dallas Wings for Azura Stevens. KLS was blocked at the guard spots by Diamond DeShields and Allie Quigley, whereas Stevens can help on the post as a scorer and defender immediately.

Additions

Sydney Colson (free agent)
Azura Stevens (trade from Dallas)
Alexis Prince (free agent)

Departures

Katie Lou Samuelson (traded to Dallas)

2020 WNBA Draft

Picks

1st round, #8 overall
No 2nd round
3rd round, #30 overall
3rd round, #32 overall

Needs

With apologies to Jantel Lavender and Stefanie Dolson, but the Sky aren’t winning in a league where the post play is so competitive with the roster they have now. You can’t win in the WNBA without elite bigs, and that’s got to be the priority for them.

A Lauren Cox from Baylor is a perfect fit, but she won’t be there when they pick at #8. Chicago seems like a team that could move up if they’re willing to concede an asset, but if not Ruthy Hebard from Oregon would be a great fit. She’s coming out early and will be young, but has shown she can play and play well in big games.