Angel Reese became the second youngest WNBA player to record a triple-double in the Chicago Sky’s 78-66 victory over the Connecticut Sun this past Sunday. While the field goal percentage left plenty to be desired (two for seven), Reese found numerous other ways to be effective. She was seven of seven from the line with 13 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and two blocks.

Although the next contest ended in a 79-72 home loss to the Washington Mystics, Reese still had another solid performance. She finished with 17 points on 7-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, and five assists. The field goal percentage was particularly an encouraging sign, as Reese is shooting just over 35 percent this year.

With this last performance, however, she has now shot over 50 percent from the field in two of the last four games. The recent production from her and a couple of her young teammates could be the start of Chicago getting things back on track.

What The Hailey

Although the biggest story has been Reese, she is not the only Sky player to have a career day recently. Rookie guard Hailey Van Lith finished with a career-high 16 points and added five rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench in the win against the Sun. That gave the Sky the scoring boost they desperately needed as they are second-to-last in points per game and the only team with a leading scorer who averages less than 14 points per game.

Van Lith had been struggling to find her way before that breakout performance. She had only averaged 3.7 points per game in the first seven games of the season. Her confidence never went away, however, and she knew her moment would come. Van Lith had this to say via Ben Pickman of the Athletic:

“I felt like if I could just carry over a calm state of mind where I’m literally just playing instinctually, that was my goal today.”

With veteran point guard and five-time WNBA All-Star Courtney Vandersloot ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, there is a huge void to fill in the Chicago backcourt. There are still inconsistencies with Van Lith, as she followed up her breakout game with just five points against Washington. She has shown enough, though, to continue getting more opportunities, and that should lead to more consistent play.

Sky Need To Take Advantage Of Winnable Games

The Sky will have more winnable games to finish the month of June and start July. After a pair of contests against top-four teams (Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream), five of their following six contests are against opponents who have a record under .500. This will also include two games against the Los Angeles Sparks, who may be without their best player, All-WNBA guard Kelsey Plum, as she is now dealing with a left leg injury.

This stretch of games should serve as a golden opportunity to start making the climb back toward a contending spot in the standings. The young core of Reese, Van Lith, and former third-overall pick Kamilla Cardoso should have plenty of chances to continue having breakout performances with a more favorable schedule coming up.

End Of My WNBA Chicago Sky Rant

The season has not started well for the Sky, but sometimes, all it takes is that one breakout performance to ignite a turnaround. We may have just witnessed the beginning of that with the recent efforts from Reese and Van Lith. Despite still trying to find her way in the scoring department, Angel is now showing off her playmaking ability. Meanwhile, Van Lith is gaining confidence, and Cardoso is continuing to become a force in the middle.

I do not believe that these performances were just a fluke. There is plenty of great young talent on this Sky roster, but sometimes, it just takes a while for it to come together. Particularly for Reese, she is not a natural scorer, but with her athleticism, defensive presence, and now playmaking ability, there are so many other ways she can impact the game. Focusing on getting others going, such as Van Lith, Cardoso, and their leading scorer, Ariel Atkins, could serve as an effective strategy as Reese continues to find her way offensively.