Sky's Angel Reese Showing Confidence in Struggling Rookie
When Hailey Van Lith entered the league with the Chicago Sky, expectations were high.
Do you remember the numbers she was putting up in her final year at TCU? If you don’t, we’ll remind you.
17.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.4 apg, 45.2 fg%, 33.8 3p%
Those stats drew the Sky in. Once they noticed that she was still on the board with the 11th overall pick in this past year's draft, they snatched her. So far, however, she hasn’t been what they were expecting.
4.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 34.4 fg%, 16.7 3p%
None of it has been pretty, but her 3-ball in particular has been incredibly alarming. Still, just because it isn’t falling, doesn’t mean her teammates are giving up on her, especially Angel Reese.
“I think I know Angel’s game pretty well now,” Van Lith told Renee Montgomery, a former two-time WNBA champ, on her podcast. “I know whenever I give it to her, she’s a very willing passer. She’s always yelling at me to knock threes down. So whenever she has the ball and I’m in the vicinity, I’m 100% moving my feet to try and get a window to be open because I know that she’s looking for me.”
If the Sky want to go to the next level, they’ll need Van Lith to become more productive and efficient when it comes to her outside shot. Currently, their playoff dreams are shattered as they remain 13 games below .500.
At this point, it isn’t about making a push. Hell, it isn't even about how many games the Sky can win to close the season strong. Chicago, and for good reason, is focused on development, with Van Lith and Reese being at the top of their priority list.
It might be too late for the talented guard to bring her numbers up to a respectable level, but for now, she's concentrating on finding her role and making sure she can thrive in it.
“I think sealing shots like that, where I can just get my feet set and catch and shoot, has been huge for me to not pass up at this level.”
A graduate of Queens College, Hans has covered practically every sport you can think of. The NBA, NFL, Boxing, UFC, Tennis, MLB, even Rugby! His work has appeared in various places such as Bleacher Report, USA Today, Fox Sports, and FanSided. When he isn’t reporting or writing on sports, he’s watching it. He also enjoys boxing, lifting weights at the gym, and debating anything sports-related.