The Hidden Hand of Courtney Vandersloot

There are any number of explanations for the dramatic improvement in the Chicago Sky’s offense. After finishing eighth in 2014, they are easily atop the WNBA in points per possession.[1. 105.3 points/100 possessions, almost 2 full points better than Indiana’s 2nd place mark of 103.5 pts/100.]

Most notable is Elena Delle Donne, who has the best case for league MVP, thanks largely to one of the best offensive seasons in WNBA history. Then there’s the addition of Cappie Pondexter, the three-time first team all-WNBA performer.

But overlooked beyond these two big names is the dramatically improved play of point guard Courtney Vandersloot, whose ability to effectively navigate the league’s second-fastest offense is vital to the Sky’s success.

“Sloot won’t give herself credit, but she’s a fifth-year player,” her coach, Pokey Chatman said in a pregame chat Thursday night at The Garden. “She’s understanding her ability, and how effective it can be. And it also speaks to the options around her. I don’t think she has to hit home run passes anymore. And I think, to be quite honest with you, she excels with a faster pace.”

The evident joy in how she runs the offense is perhaps clearest in a style of play she describes as “aggressive patience.” Several times per game, Vandersloot will towards the hoop, her quickness allowing her to maneuver around a defender, only to see a sudden change course as dribbles back out to the perimeter. It’s an approach not seen elsewhere in the WNBA.

“That’s something I’ve worked on since I’ve been in the league,” Vandersloot said as she sat behind the basket prior to Thursday night’s game, just after team shooting drills. “And Pokey  has me watch film on NBA guys—you see that a lot more in the NBA game. Just having the confidence to keep your dribble alive. Which, in the past, I’d turn it over more, because I’d pick it up sooner than I should have.”

It is turnover rate that represents the greatest leap in Vandersloot’s game. Last season, her turnover percentage was 26.9 percent. This year, that’s dropped to 16.6 percent entering Thursday night’s game. Largely as a result of this improvement, her individual offensive rating jumped from 92 to 110.

It’s by no means the only improvement, however. Vandersloot’s True Shooting Percentage is up to 54.1 percent from 48.2 percent last year and 49.2 percent for her career. And free throw accuracy—89.7 percent, up from 79.9 percent career—is only part of it. Vandersloot’s improved midrange game has her two-point field goal percentage up to 49.5 percent from last season’s 40.9 percent.[2. None of these numbers include the bump Vandersloot will see from her 21 point performance – including 5-5 from three – on Thursday night’s rout of the Liberty.]

Again, some of that is health—a knee injury interrupted her 2014 season. But there’s no mechanical adjustment here, no changed offseason health or fitness regimen. Vandersloot insisted it was confidence.

“You get a good start, and your teammates instill confidence in you,” Vandersloot said. “One of those things about Cappie, and a lot of people would say this, she really builds you up.”

Vandersloot also credited Chatman for insisting that she shoot without hesitation, part of a more free-flowing offense for a Sylvia Fowles-less Sky.

“We use all the analytics, we crunch the numbers,” Chatman said. “And when she’s shooting 12 shots per game, at greater than 50 percent rate, we’re having some success. So you can say that as a coach, but they like to see that in the numbers, because they never like to feel like they’re taking shots away from somebody else.”

Or as Delle Donne put it, “I can’t remember a game when she was on the attack that we lost.”

In practice, that unleashing of Vandersloot this season required a number of tweaks, according to Chatman.

“I tell her, I don’t want to play 4-versus-5, be a threat,” Chatman said. “That’s the first statement. Then you back that up with clips. I’m not gonna pick and roll for you if you’re not an option coming off the pick. Then, if she’s still reluctant, I’ll move her away from the ball, and I’ll run stuff for her where she has no choice.”

It all adds up to an 18.6 PER in a season where she’s playing more than ever before and shooting better than ever before, tops in the league in assists and nowhere near the league leaders in turnovers.

Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising: Vandersloot was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, a highly-decorated point guard out of Gonzaga. But it has not been a quick ascent to stardom. That climb may be happening right now.

“With the point guard position, it’s an adjustment,” Vandersloot said. “I had that adjustment in college, too. With this position, moving to a better league, a different style of game. We’ve obviously had some up-and-down seasons my first few years. It was a struggle at times. So it feels nice that we’ve finally established ourselves as a team, and me as a player.”

Thursday night, Delle Donne returned from a foot injury, and put up her customary numbers early, with 10 by the time the Liberty as a team had 12. But Vandersloot, too, did not shy away from finding her shot, draining a pair of threes off the fast break, and outscored Delle Donne in the first half, 16-15, before finishing with a game-high 21. If Pondexter had instilled that extra confidence in Vandersloot, she’d certainly held onto it even while a concussion sidelined Pondexter.

“She’s been met with success, and now it’s like she’s got a little pair of wings,” Chatman said. “I’ve told her: it’s her team. She can play-call a lot more. I trust her to do that. She’s had an All Star year without an All Star pat on the back.”