WNBA Season Preview 2019: Every team's best case scenario

WNBA Season Preview 2019: Every team’s best case scenario

By Miles Wray | May 21, 2019

UNCASVILLE, CT - MAY 14: Kia Nurse #5 of the New York Liberty shares a laugh with Teresa Weatherspoon before the game against the Atlanta Dream on May 14, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, IL – MAY 14: The The Chicago Sky react against the Indiana Fever on May 14, 2019 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Chicago Sky: New coach James Wade helps lift up a last-place defense to somewhere around league-average

Just six years removed from his own international playing career, Wade quickly built up an impressive résumé as an assistant coach, earning rings with the two global dynasties of women’s basketball: the Minnesota Lynx and UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. His top priority in Chicago will have to be improving team defense. In 2018, the Sky’s rate of giving up 112 points per 100 possessions wasn’t just worst in the league — it was the worst of all-time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Sky are coming from too far back last year to realistically expect elite play in 2019. But a balanced approach to both sides of the floor could really unlock the potential on the Sky’s roster, which features a top-five pick from each of the last three drafts.