WNBA Outlook: Las Vegas Aces vs Chicago Sky Preview
- Cardell Darrin Dudley Jr
- Jul 26, 2020
- 2 min read
Chicago Sky (0-0) vs Las Vegas Aces (0-0)
When: Sunday, July 26th at 3pm. Where: IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida TV: ABC / Radio: N/A
Notes:
Chicago-
Draft: No. 8 Ruthy Hebard; No. 30 Japreece Dean; No. 32 Kiah Gillespie; Dean was waived, Gillespie has opted to not play in the 2020 WNBA season
Trades: Acquired Azurá Stevens from Dallas in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and a 2021 first-round draft pick; Traded Astou Ndour to Dallas for a 2021 first round pick
Players Added: Signed free agents Syndey Colson and Stella Johnson; added Azurá Stevens via trade
Players Lost: Traded Katie Lou Samuelson and Astou Ndour to Dallas; free agent Kayla Alexander signed with Minnesota; restricted free agent Jamierra Faulkner was not signed after announcing she would not play in 2020 due to injury; Jantel Lavender will not play in 2020 as she recovers from foot surgery
Returning Players: Re-signed free agents Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson and Kahleah Copper; Exercised team options on Gabby Williams and Diamond DeShields; Jantel Lavender and Cheyenne Parker remain under contract
Las Vegas:
Injury/Opt Out:
Chicago: N/A
Las Vegas:
Liz Cambage will not play in 2020 (Activism)
Chicago (2019 Stats)-
84.6 - points per game
83.3- points against
44.8 - Field goal %
Las Vegas (2019 Stats)-
82.2 - points per game
78.8 - points against
42.7 - field goal %
Keep an eye on:
The Return of Angel McCoughtry: period! The five time all star and one of the best two way wings the game has seen returns after missing pretty much all of the 2019 season with a left knee injury. McCoughtry averages 19.1 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.1 steals for her career. If she can regain anything close to this level of production, the Aces have a strong shot at making it to the WNBA finals. Stay tuned.
Azura Stevens/ Ruthy Hebard: Chicago's backcourt is loaded with three all stars, what they need is balance through improved front court production, to truly be in the mix as title contenders. This is why Azura Stevens was traded for by the Sky and Ruthy Hebard was drafted. The versatility of both forwards to score inside and out, run the floor, make plays and most importantly for Chicago, DEFEND, were aspects of the game the Sky lacked last season. Both will face a nice test to start the season battling the Aces front line, even with Cambage sitting out, and this should give a glimpse as to what to expect from these two as the season progresses.
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