When Emma Meesseman steps onto the court at Wintrust Arena for the first time as a member of the Chicago Sky, she will be one of three former WNBA Finals MVPs on the roster.
The 6-foot-4 forward last played in the WNBA in 2020, but her performance in the 2019 playoffs with the Washington Mystics is what Sky fans are excited about.
In nine games that postseason, she averaged 19.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while starting only three times. She was the Mystics’ best player behind Elena Delle Donne on a championship team that had one of the greatest offenses of all time.
Meesseman, 28, sat out the 2021 season to focus on the Olympics for Team Belgium. Now the Sky hope she will play a substantial role for a team looking to become the third in league history to repeat as champions.
Fan favorite Stefanie Dolson accepted a two-year, $320,000 deal with the New York Liberty this offseason. In need of a stretch-five, the Sky turned to Meesseman, who signed a one-year, $185,000 contract Friday, a team source told the Tribune.
The addition gives coach/GM James Wade multiple options for how to utilize Meesseman’s skill set. She averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in seven seasons with the Mystics, who selected Meesseman in the second round of the 2013 draft.
The Sky run a five-out offense — which Meesseman thrived in with the Mystics. Under coach Mike Thibault, the Mystics spread the floor with three bigs in Delle Donne, LaToya Sanders and Meesseman. It led to the Mystics sporting the highest offensive rating in league history (112.9).
Wade could roll out a similar lineup, putting Meesseman next to Candace Parker and Azurá Stevens, who started in the Sky’s frontcourt last season. The length those three bring to both ends of the floor is intriguing.
Meesseman could come off the bench, as Dolson did in 2021. With the Sky bringing back all five starters from last postseason, Meesseman could supplement Stevens’ and Parker’s productivity when one of them sits. Stevens was on a minutes restriction last season after battling leg injuries. Meesseman’s comparable skill set will benefit Stevens from not having to play too many minutes early on, as she did in 2020.
While Meesseman most likely will take over Dolson’s role as a stretch-five off the bench, Dolson and Meesseman each create space for teammates. Dolson is a bone-crushing screener who frequently freed up Allie Quigley on pin-downs while the two played together from 2017-21.
Meesseman is more of a nimble screener and redirects her positioning off the ball to pull defenders away from teammates in space. Her manipulation on the offensive end fits the style of play the Sky like to deploy, and her agility might make her more suited for Wade’s offense than Dolson.
Mystics assistant coach Eric Thibault also alluded to Meesseman’s intellect as a passer on the “Slappin’ Glass” podcast in December.
“We get some high-low, but a lot of times we would get everybody spaced behind the 3-point line,” the younger Thibault said.. “Elena (Delle Donne) really had to work on being able to kick to the weak side if she felt that double coming in. (Meesseman’s) a great passer, and we tried to keep the floor spaced as much as possible for them. We were lucky we have had smart post players who have seen every coverage.”
Delle Donne is arguably one of the greatest scorers in WNBA history, but she isn’t the facilitator Parker is. Meesseman will benefit from playing with three-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot in the pick-and-roll, and Parker has made a career of throwing darts to the weak side out of the post. The pairing of Meesseman and Parker in the Sky’s frontcourt will be dangerous.
Meesseman will miss training camp and report to the Sky in May after overseas commitments. When she arrives, some familiar faces will be on the roster.
Vandersloot and Quigley currently play with Meesseman in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg. The Sky also traded for Belgian point guard Julie Allemand and hired Ann Wauters as an assistant coach — both played with Meesseman in the Tokyo Olympics.
James Kay is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.