Why Sky Should Start Hailey Van Lith Against Sun
It's been almost two months since the Chicago Sky have faced the Connecticut Sun. Having played each other in the playoffs for three straight years (2020-2022), the Sky are hoping to win for a second time against the Sun this season.
During their June 15 contest, Chicago recorded a solid team win, 78-66, on the road against their former teammate Marina Mabrey. The 28-year-old torched the Sky for 22 points which was a third of the Sun's points.
Luckily for the 2021 WNBA Champions, they had an offensive powerhouse of their own that game. As of late, Hailey Van Lith has been reduced to the bench and barely been able to produce.
In four games this month, she has scored a combined 11 points in 35 minutes. Going 1-3 in that span, Van Lith has two games without recording a point (three combined minutes in those contests).
Why Van Lith should start for the Sky on Wednesday?
With little to no question, June 15 against the Sun was Van Lith's best game of her WNBA career. Not only was it the only outing in which she scored in double figures, her 16 points were a team high that day.
The 11th pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft was solid with her shot. Van Lith went six-for-eight from the floor including one-for-two from deep and three-for-four from the free throw line. She also collected five rebounds and came up with an assist and a block.
Though her efforts came in the Sky's second unit, Van Lith helped Chicago earn the victory over the Sun during the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup. The two teams meet again on Wednesday night in Uncasville, Connecticut.
It has been a month since the Sky have won back-to-back games when they scored 87 points against the Dallas Wings and the Minnesota Lynx. With multiple players nursing injuries this season, Chicago elected to stand pat at the trade deadline by not making a swap.
While Ariel Atkins has returned to the starting lineup for Chicago, fellow starter Rachel Banham has been less impressive in the Sky's last two games. Both were blowout losses by at least 20 points.
Banham had a +/- of -20 against the Atlanta Dream and a -24 against the Indiana Fever. Trying something new like inserting Van Lith into the starting lineup and having Banham come off the bench is worth the experiment.
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My name is Scott Conrad and I am a Contributor for the Chicago Sky with Sports Illustrated.com. I am also a Contributor with FanSided on NinerNoise, as well as Da Windy City. In addition, I am the Site Editor/Expert for The View from Avalon. I spent two seasons (2015 & 2016) with the Tampa Bay Times as a Correspondent covering high school football. I am a two-time published author with more work to come. In my teenage years, I started watching both MLS and WNBA start in 1996 and grow to be the juggernauts they are in their respective sports. Much love to the career on and off the court for fellow-Napervillian and former Sky forward Candace Parker. Outside of the sports journalism world, I am a travel volleyball coach. I accepted the Head Coach position with Greater Cincinnati Volleyball Club for their U13-2 team. In terms of active sports, I play volleyball, soccer, softball, kickball and train in mixed martial arts.