The Chicago Sky are on the clock to rethink their end-of-season strategy after star rookie Angel Reese suffered a season-ending wrist injury Friday. Losing Reese, who was leading the WNBA in rebounding (13.1 per game) and the Sky in minutes (32.5), is clearly a significant blow. The 6-foot-3 forward had started all 34 games before the injury, anchoring the Sky on both ends of the court. So what comes next? Let’s answer some of the biggest questions looming for the Sky (13-22) with five games remaining in the regular season. WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP FOR ANGEL REESE? Reese shared a detailed timeline of her injury in a TikTok video late Sunday. She said she suffered a hairline fracture in the base of her left hand while attempting to catch herself after being knocked to the ground with a foul in the third quarter of Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Reese said she elected to undergo surgery because playing through the injury could have risked arthritis or further damage. She was scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, then spend four weeks in a hard cast followed by two more weeks in a soft cast. Then she can begin rehabilitation on her hand, meaning she likely won’t return to basketball activities until late November or December. The timing still works in Reese’s favor as she prepares to compete in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league created by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart with games in Miami from January to March. Reese said she expects to be back to full strength by the start of the Unrivaled season. WHO WILL REPLACE REESE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON? The Sky will turn to veteran Isabelle Harrison to fill in as the starting power forward. Harrison locked down the job in Sunday’s blowout win over the Dallas Wings, logging 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block.
While their physical profiles look similar, the 6-3 Harrison is a fundamentally different player from Reese – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Harrison doesn’t bring the same motor on the boards, so she won’t fully compensate for the volume of rebounds and second-chance points Reese provided. But Harrison’s midrange shooting will be valuable as the Sky work to balance the floor to create space for Kamilla Cardoso in the low post. In her seventh WNBA season, the 30-year-old Harrison is one of the Sky’s most experienced players, an important factor in making a smooth transition to the starting lineup. While the Sky might become less explosive in certain areas of the court, Harrison should be well-equipped to prevent a significant drop-off in production. CAN THE SKY SIGN A PLAYER TO A HARDSHIP CONTRACT? The Sky have placed two players on the season-ending injury list after starting center Elizabeth Williams underwent knee surgery in June. That qualifies them to sign a player to a replacement contract – but it’s unclear if they would do that with so few games remaining.
