When Hailey Van Lith was in college, she would sit mesmerized in front of the TV, watching Kyrie Irving dance on the court with a basketball that seemed glued to his hand. “Michael Jordan is the GOAT, but the GOAT right now is Kyrie Irving,” Van Lith once said in an interview with SLAM Magazine. So, fair to say that the way he could take over a game, but also set up his teammates—it stuck with her. That mix of versatility and toughness is something she has modeled her game after, something she would carry into the WNBA. And that is exactly what the Chicago Sky team is counting upon. However, let’s be real, WNBA isn’t the same as college ball.

While Irving is highly recognized for his “playmaking,” HVL didn’t have it initially. Until the third year of college, her stat line read 3.2 assists. But then, she made the transition. As usual, it came with months of hard work and implementation, but her efforts paid off when TCU pulled off a victory against North Carolina in the 2023–24 season. “I really enjoyed this process,” shared HVL. It was after she achieved a double-double — 18 points with 10 assists. “I’m kind of transforming into a new player. Before, I was like Hailey the scorer, I was going to go and get buckets, and now I’m the playmaker.” And there has been no stopping for her ever since.

So, by the time she stepped onto the Orange Carpet in hopes of getting picked up at the 2025 WNBA Draft, she had an impressive resume. She is now a phenom on both offense and defense! What else do you need from a player? When the playmaker is unleashed, one automatically becomes a snatch! So, the Chicago Sky made the call, and the team picked her up at #11 in the draft. But as we said in the beginning, the WNBA has more mature and more physical players. And it has been a case that adjusting to the league is no joke. However, we are all aware of her Olympic experience, where she went against veterans and learned to thrive under pressure. This is nothing new for her.

And so she recently said, “The style of play that I’ve been as a PG, I’ve found a great balance of playing PG. I’m not a traditional pass-first PG”. You see, it is like she is screaming, it’s all about balance, baby. Why it matters is because she is looking to flip the script that greats of the league have often followed- prioritize assists while scoring less.

Averaging 17.9 points per game with nearly 5.6 assists, HVL is not your regular player. Her stats reflect the dual-threat capability — an effective balance of scoring and playmaking responsibilities. Notably, her average of 5.6 assists per game ranks her third in the Big 12 Conference, whereas her scoring places her sixth. So, the dominance is clear. At the risk of sounding repetitive—she’s not pass-first; she’s balance-first. But if you’re still not satisfied, look at her 13 games wherein she had at least 10 points with 5 assists, which is also the second-most nationally.

So, the team is just ecstatic to have her, mainly because of this ability we have been raving about. “I’d say her biggest skill is her ability to adjust, adapt and still come out on top,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. So, on or off the ball, HVL will make everyone thank her. Even new coach Marsh is sure that she will give the team her 110%.

However, it seems like the team has also paid heed to an anonymous GM’s comments, who said that Van Lith will need to learn to “be strategic” when guarding players who are bigger and faster than her (as reported by The Athletic). And it seems like they have already made that clear to her as well, and in a manner that didn’t overwhelm the new Sky star. How lovely! We can already see that team chemistry there! “They really wanted someone that brought toughness, is gritty, can fight. I felt a ton of alignment in what they were looking for. I was very encouraged after I talked to them,” shared the new Chicago Sky rookie.

And one can tell that growth is headed in the right direction when neither the team nor the player is trying to fit themselves in a box. HVL’s potential role in the team is still unclear, but she isn’t dwelling on that. As of now, she is just focused on making use of this opportunity to help the Sky earn a playoff berth in whatever manner possible.

Despite the 2024 season disappointment, the Chicago Sky looks to bounce back.

The Sky, meanwhile, is a team in transition. After winning the WNBA title in 2021 and making the playoffs five straight years, 2024 was a gut punch: a 13-27 record and no postseason for the first time since 2018.

Well, it didn’t take a full round of analysis to figure out what went wrong. Consider this: the team’s 77.4 points per game ranked 11th out of 12 teams. Simply put, it wasn’t enough to overcome opponents who averaged 88.2 points per game. And this happened despite Chennedy Carter leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game. She even had Angel Reese to complement her, who averaged 13.6 PPG.

Meanwhile, Kamilla Cardoso contributed a strong presence in the paint, averaging 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Marina Mabrey, averaging 4.5 assists per game, led the team in playmaking efforts. But clearly, all of this just wasn’t enough, especially with injuries also after them. So now, the Sky are collecting talent via trades and the draft.

With the addition of Hailey Van Lith, the team has strengthened its playmaking and scoring at the same time. We all know she can do both. But she’s not the only move the team made. They also acquired veteran guard Ariel Atkins for that very purpose.

The 5’10” guard has established herself as a consistent two-way player in the WNBA. Averaging 14.9 points per game with nearly 3.4 rebounds, Atkins brings six years of league experience. Not only that, but she also made WNBA history by earning All-Defensive Team honors in each of her first five seasons, highlighting her impact on both ends of the court. She’ll definitely be a game-changer.

So the question remains—will this young roster, led by a seasoned vet, be able to clinch a playoff berth this time?