Five games into the WNBA season, the Chicago Sky are already short-handed as they juggle the absences of four players.
Guard Rebekah Gardner underwent surgery on her left foot Thursday after suffering an injury in the final minute of Friday’s loss to the Washington Mystics. Coach James Wade said the surgery addressed “something broken in her foot” but didn’t provide specifics.
The Sky (3-2) will bring a diminished roster to the court Friday against the New York Liberty, who field one of the newly touted “super teams” of the WNBA behind stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and former Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot.
Gardner faces an uncertain timeline.
“It’s undetermined how long she’s going to be out but I wouldn’t expect her anytime soon,” Wade said. “She’s going to be out a while.”
Gardner often comes off the bench to lead the team’s secondary unit and stagger alongside guards Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey, but her influence goes far beyond reserve.
A cornerstone of the Sky defense, Gardner logs 19.8 minutes per game and averages two steals — leading the Sky and tied for seventh in the WNBA. Her defensive rating (78.2) is 10th in the league among players who average five or more minutes per game.
And the impact of Gardner’s injury is heightened by the absence of forward Isabelle Harrison, who underwent meniscus surgery May 19 after suffering an injury during preseason. The timetable for a return from meniscus repair can range from six weeks to three months. Wade reiterated that the Sky don’t expect either Gardner or Harrison to be available “any time soon.”
First-year forward Morgan Bertsch, who suffered an ankle sprain against the Mystics, is closer to a return, but Wade said she will still remain sidelined for one to two weeks. Bertsch wore a walking boot at practice Thursday morning while her activity was confined to riding an exercise bike and other low-impact exercises.
The Sky also have placed no timeline on the return of forward Ruthy Hebard, who gave birth to her son Xzavier in April.
With four players sidelined, the Sky are down to nine available players — including maternity-replacement player Kristine Anigwe, who will depart Sunday for international duty with Britain.
The team could apply for an emergency hardship exception, which grants a temporary leave to sign another player when injuries reduce a roster to fewer than 10 players. Although Wade said the Sky would pursue this option, he hasn’t committed to using the exception to sign a player in the intermediary.
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“There’s no sense of urgency,” Wade said. “I like the group that we have. We just have to be better in certain things.”
Playing short-handed is an especially steep challenge for a Sky team with an identity predicated on effort. The Sky offense stems from its defense, which layers hefty perimeter pressure with aggressive traps and hedges to keep opposing teams out of the paint. Guard Dana Evans often picks up full court and Copper urges the team to run opponents ragged in transition.
This is the vision Wade always had for this year’s iteration of the Sky — and it won’t be altered by absences.
“We won’t change anything,” Wade said. “We never have and we’re fine.”
The Sky are the second-lowest scoring team in the league, averaging 76 points to maintain a half-point edge over the Indiana Fever. But they balance that out with their defense, which ranks third in the league while generating 15 points off turnovers.
But Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta also reflected the inevitable breakdown that follows when the Sky can’t fully commit to this high-octane style of play. The Sky scored only 25 points in the first half of a “disconnected” game that Copper ascribed to a lack of mental focus.
For the Sky, regaining that rugged mentality will be key as they attempt to outlast opponents like the Liberty with a short-sided roster.
“We just all play hard and I think when you play hard, you look good,” guard Courtney Williams said. “For us sometimes it don’t feel good, but it’s going to look good to everybody else. Because we could be doing all the wrong stuff, but we doing it hard.”