Can Dana Evans, Michaela Onyenwere & Isabelle Harrison Step Up For The Chicago Sky To End Season?

Intro the Chicago Sky have returned to practicing getting ready for the second half of the WNBA season on today's episode we're going to continue our player grades this time looking at Isabelle Harrison Dana Evans and Michaela Oni W we're going to look at that plus more right after this welcome to Chicago Sky Central and here's your host Hayes what's going on Sky fans welcome to another episode of Chicago Sky Central your number one spot for everything Chicago Sky related I'm the host ter Hayes but more more importantly you guys can follow the channnel at Chicago Sky pod on every social media platform we happen to be on with that being said let's go Ahad and get into this content for the to day y'all so I want to start off I know I said we're going to get into the practices things like that player grades but we did the since the Chicago Chicago Sky have started practice we heard from the new players for the first time Mariah Jefferson saying this in regards to leaving the Connecticut sun and coming to the Chicago Sky saying probably just relationships as far as what she'll miss about being with the sun probably relationships that you build along the way we had a good dream and it's just part of the game it's a business we're excited to be here and practice went really good for us today again great energy and just excited to be Rachel banam said I feel L I feel that like luckily we're both point guard minded and high IQ players so the transition is easy for us today we put in a handful of plays and I thought it went really well and so so far you know it seems like integrating the new the two new players is really good Mariah Jefferson still has not been officially cleared so we don't know when exactly she's going to make her debut for the Chicago sky but at least you know she's out there practicing with the team learning the plays things like that and by what they've said as well it seems like maybe the Chicago sky are trying to start already start implementing some new plays when you have you know two weeks basically until your season starts back after you practice that is an opportunity to add some new wrinkles to your offense especially when you have practice like that we heard with the practice that happened on Thursday that uh the defensive rotations were pretty good right on top of that they had some really intense practices on top of that and they're really trying to sharpen things up to get ready for the latter half of this season and so we'll see what happens this team is a team that has a lot of room for growth right both offensively and defensively especially kind of understanding the mismatches it does seem like right now that Michaela Oni wde is probably going to be the starter but me and steo will have an episode on that where we predict the starting lineup going forward into the rest of the season but right now it seems like with the sky with having a 10 and4 record uh which is still has them eighth and fighting for a playoff spot that will see if this team can continue that growth and development over the course of that but you know integrating these two new players is going to be big for this Chicago Sky team and um Teresa Weatherspoon has a task in front of her is that you need to integrate two veteran players that you probably do need in regards uh to you know helping your team and if they can better kind of identify how to get uh you know the your bigs the ball down low that's going to be something that definitely helps your team as you're growing and developing as well so that's something to really look for uh that has changed but me and steveo have more and then I love breaking down the x's and O with steo on the episode so we'll have a more in-depth episode on that here coming up but uh overall I'm excited about the second half of the season for the Chicago sky and they got some rotation things that they need to kind of figure out um and you know that's going to be a task in front of them but overall Angel Reese you know back from Paris practicing with the team having really intense physical practices is really good for this team because the second and latter half of this season really does shape up to be extremely physical leading into the playoffs and the reason why I say that is that the fact that the I have this you know well the WNBA as a whole has had this large gap when it comes down to uh between the the the allstar break starting and when the season comes back it's really going to be a big deal um for them to kind of all acclimate and everybody's going to be you know healthy and had had an extra uh uh time to rest up of course except the players who went over and played overseas of course uh in the Olympics but overall this is going to be something that I think is going to be a big one uh to watch how how this game this uh season continues to evolve for the Chicago Scot but in the season evolving that means that we need solid production from our players and so with that said we're we've started um doing Dana Evans these player grades and we're going to continue them today the first player that I want to talk about is Dana Evans and Dana Evans is an interesting case to really kind of break down for the Chicago Sky Team mainly because Dana Evans came in you know earned that starting uh point guard uh position Teresa Weatherspoon was really kind of head over heels for Dana Evans and Dana Evans was the kind of point guard that I really thought would really turn into a pit bull under Teresa Weatherspoon she's going to empower players things like that and Dana's always been one of those players as well that everybody kind of looked at it's been a sky fan long term looked at and said hey Dana if she just gets Unleashed a little bit more and unfortunately we really didn't have that as the starting point guard for the Chicago Sky unfortunately Dana Evans was disappointing both offensively and defensively not as disappointing offensively is what she was I defensively is what she was offensively but she never really quite ran the show and the Chicago Sky really needed something different from the port guard position than what they've needed the last few years because of having you know really good ball handlers all up and down that uh that that team for the last few years Marina ma Kalia copper last year the season before that Ean meim in and you know having uh of course Courtney Vander slute and everybody the year before that and so it was a it was a opportunity for Dana Evans to grab the bull by the horns and show that she could be the starting point guard to kind of lead this next new Young phase of the Chicago Sky forward and she didn't do that and then when she moved to the bench things were okay coming off the bench she's averaging 7.7 points per game so far uh this season for the uh Chicago sky and it's just overall it has been a a disappointing season for Dan and I think most people will uh agree with that that it hasn't been the best for Dana and and you know for the when it comes down to it does Dana Evans is it all on Dana Evans some of it is the makeup of the team I think that Dana Evans is the thing that we've seen the most from Dana is that she is no longer you well she's not the type of point guard where you want her really kind of setting up offense right Dana Evans is a scoring guard that you want her to be hugely effective in what she can do scoring wise right like that's that's the thing and sometimes off of the scoring that she's able to do the gravity of her scoring she's going to be able to facilitate some as far as making real really good passes but when you look at it the splits between Dana being a starter and being off the bench is kind of noticeable now as a starter she did average 12 12.3 points per game she shot the ball 38% from the field and 37% from three-point range but unfortunately the defense just wasn't really there for it now when you when you look at it as well with her um sorry 10.3 points per game is what she averaged as a starter and then when you look at what she's average coming off the bench it's only 4.7 points per game coming off the bench for as well she's shooting the ball 32% from the field coming off the bench 32% from three 93% from free throw range and overall she's just not having a big impact Dana Evans has a has in large been disappointing for the Chicago Sky both starting and coming off the bench yeah averaging double digit points per game as a starter is really good uh if you look at that kind of in a vacuum but then when you watch it within the game and the confines of the game it just it wasn't really what you needed it to be and so it's unfortunate that Dana you know couldn't take that next opportunity in that step especially in a contract year um now I still do think that Dana Evans can still be effective um I think that she would have to be Unleashed strictly as a score and you would have to run a very different type of system when she's in the game versus when she's out the game and I just don't know if the Chicago sky are prepared to do that right Dana Evans could thrive in a more uptempo um you know kind of pick and row heavy uh offense that I think that allows her to kind of shoot uh the three coming off screens and things like that and unfortunately just with the way that this team is gone I don't see them really kind of featuring that now you're going to get some opportunities for that and unless the Chago Sky have really changed their offense considerably with that bench unit it's just not going to be the balance there now I will say this Dana Evans Defense some of it too is that we have to look at Dana Evans as the offense her and Dana Evans coming I'm sorry diamond and Shields coming off the bench which we get into diamond in the next episode but Dana Evans has been a mixed bag for me defensively I think she's been better defensively coming off the bench than what she was as a starter and that's fine Dana Evans really last season for the Chicago Sky guarding players 48 feet the full length of the Court just digging in and being that dog defensively for the Chicago Sky we haven't even seen that consistently more consistently coming off the bench but not really throughout the season and so this this season unfortunately for me it's a d for Dana Evin and I know that that's pun in that right um but it's just it just it's been disappointing the D is for disappointing it's been a disappointing season for Dana and a season where I really wanted to see her take a leap she's only prior to the season only started two games for the Chicago scy she started 12 games out of the 23 she's played and and it just hasn't been it hasn't been good and so you know over the last part of the season and if the sky do make the playoffs she still has a chance to kind of maybe show that she she deserves and earns another and can earn another contract but it's going to have to come via her locking in and really doing the things that that really come that are strengths for her and if she's prepared to do that if she does do it then great um I would again I would love to see Dana Evans turn this this thing this rest of the season around for her to just be something that we absolutely need off this team and that is a score we can use isolation scores coming coming into this to allow kind of the players in in the wings to do more right but I don't know if we're going to see it this season for this guy um you know and every every day every game that goes by it gets a little bit more more and more disappointing just being 100% honest it just gets more disappointing because you just you can't bet on a consistent level of production from Dana Evans either defensively or offensively and that really just leaves you in a place to where it's like hey uh Dana are you going to wake up is maybe you know I thought that maybe her going to the bench after being the starter was going to help her but it just hasn't either for Dana Evans so we'll see how the rest of the season but I got to give Dana Evans A D and we'll see how that goes the next player I want to talk about is Isabel Harrison Izzy Harrison this is a Isabelle Harrison player that I actually thought had she came into the season healthy she may have even started this season to be 100% honest with you um but Izzy has been one of those players that has shown flashes and there's been games absolutely Ely where Isabelle Harrison and her scoring prowess Off the Bench and even some of the defense has made a big difference for the Chicago sky but it hasn't been consisent yet she's played 19 games this season for the Chicago sky and she shot the ball 39% from the field 25% from three it just hasn't been good averaging 5.7 points per game and the thing with Isabelle Harrison is that we never really got to see what the vision was for Isabelle Harrison as Sky fan she came into this team um and was expected to do a much different role than what she's done this season um last season but then she never got to play last season and so you know Isabelle Harrison adjusting I do think she brings some really good me uh uh mentorship for the younger players as well and she really does embrace um Embrace those young players and and you see her every time with with Angel ree with Camila cardoso the fact that she can play next to either one of those players as well um is really good she has a PR player efficiency rating of 13 so far this season she's rebounding the ball uh 3.7 rebounds per game she's not really gotten a whole lot of minutes per game either and when you look at it the Chicago Sky when she's on the court average a higher block rate a higher still rate their offensive rating is better as well and even their defensive rebounding is considerably better with Isabelle Harrison on the court the fact is is that we just haven't seen a whole lot of it right so that's the thing that you got to worry about with Izzy is that when you don't play a lot of minutes uh those numbers can be skewed in kind of in a good way or a bad way he only averaging 14 1 12 minutes per game for the Chicago Sky now I do think with the trade that we made that we could see a little bit more of her and hopefully she's gotten healthier as well to where we can play her a little bit more because I think a big rotation of uh Angel ree Camila cardoso and Isabelle Harrison can be a nice versatile um front front Court there but she got to just kind of work that out and how you play but overall Isabelle Harris and I think for the situation of her being injured and not really being consistent in the minutes and things a solid C minus right because again I got to give her credit for how she has uplifted the team at times now there's been times where where Teresa Weatherspoon has kept her in the game and kept like an angel Reese or Camila cardoso out but that isn't on Isabelle the player that's on uh Teresa Weatherspoon which I will be doing grades for Teresa Weatherspoon and the coaching staff as well so don't don't overlook that but I just look at this and say that there is there's there's so much that has been left on the table uh with Izzy and I hope that her the best basketball for her is is remaining to come she's shooting the ball the worst that she's done in her NBA career 39% she's never shot the ball less than 45% uh I'm sorry less than 44 44.7 45% her whole entire career so there's enough to think that she's going to be able to get back to being and scoring the ball more effectively because with a Chicago Scot team that needs some bench scoring consistently Isabelle Harrison can bring much more than the 5.7 points per game that she's been given so far I just can't give her credit because I think that she can do it until I actually see it and hopefully only over the last part of the Season that we actually start seeing that for Izzy Harrison but uh let me know what you guys think on Izzy Izzy was a weird weird one to grade because she has given so some really good minutes at times for the Chicago sky but at other times it's been that thing again where you just look at and you're like is it the injury uh is it the you know is she maybe shying away from some physicality that maybe she doesn't know just because she doesn't trust that leg but then again you saw her a lot of times in that uh in in uh a the athletes unlimited tournament where she's been really well she really did light it up in that tournament so we'll see what happens with Isabelle Harrison overall really hope that she can turn around on the second half of this season all right Michaela Onyenwere let's get into the last player that I'm going to do a grade for today and that is Michaela Oni wde and this is a player who is shaped up to get a large a much larger role over the second half of the season a former Rookie of the Year what many people call one of the more disappointing rookie classes in WNBA history right um when you look at it she the fact that she won Rookie of the Year Without scoring double digits and points per game but still 24 years old and 6ot 70 lb 178 lbs this is a a player that has link that has versatile uh versatility defensively that you can definitely look at and she's still raw even though she's been in the WNBA going now on her fourth season she's still a player that has not really rounded out some aspects of her game right and so Michaela on wde is this player that offers so much potential in helping change some certain things for the Chicago sky but between the role not being consistent for her which it has not been she's set out multiple games Right started to for the Chicago sky but only 17 games played so far for the sky and when you look at it she shot the ball 37% from the field so far which is tied for the lowest in her career but she shot the ball 42% from three which is the best of her WNBA career but she's only taken a little over 1 three-pointers per game so again the the the highest volume season she has was a rookie year when she took it at three and a half three-pointers per game hit that at a 32% clip but can Michaela Oni where they now probably stepping into a starting role in play in in place of Marina ma can she bring that three-point shooting a little bit more consistently and then the defensive versatility the switchable defense one thing about Marina mayry even though she was gave some effort at times defensively she really was kind of she didn't have the length she didn't have the foot speed Michaela on wde has all of that and we've seen it through the last couple of games of the Season as well for Michaela on wde that she was really starting to turn maybe turn it around right we started saying hey why aren't you playing her in some of these games in some of these minutes matter of fact the last two games of the season the first one against the uh the New York Liberty she played she scored 14 points in 20 minutes and shot the ball 85% from the field and then the last game of the season against the aces shot the shot the ball 100% from the field and scored nine points so maybe there's a little bit sign that that thing can start turning around for Michaela on wde and if she earns the starting role like I think she will she's going to have a lot of opportunity to be out there and kind of just do the things that she does well she can be a solid Defender the thing about Michaela on where that she has the skill set to almost be a perfect role player she's the master of no skill and I don't mean that as a slight but she can do a little bit of everything she can get skills she can be um uh active and and and cause you know deflections things like that she can be a solid on ball Defender solid off ball Defender she can rebound okay she can shoot the ball well at times if she gets into a rhythm so Michaela on wde much like with a lot of players on this team the LA the latter half of this season has an opportunity to really show how she can fit in with this younger core she has an opportunity here to be part of the young future of the Chicago Sky if she can start turning around Kennedy Carter angrew ree Camila cardoso Michaela on wde has the chance to be that next player that again I'm not saying she's going to be a long-term starter maybe she ends up turning into a solid bench contributor for the Chicago sky but she has that opportunity and I hope she really grabs that opportunity but for the grade for the first half of the Season considering the shooting splits considering the up and down row considering the fact that sometimes she has disappeared on offense even when she has gotten minutes but she hasn't really been consistent in it at all either and she gets a little bit of credit for that as well I give Michaela on where day I fluctuated between giving a d and a C I'm going to give her a c minus mainly because of the the the erratic minutes 8 minutes 3 minutes 4 minutes 1 minute 15 minutes 11 minutes 4 minutes really inconsistent and it's hard to give a when your role changes and your minutes aren't consistent it's hard to be consistent especially when you're a player trying to fill it out on a new team but I hope that Michaela on wde can be much better in the second half of the season and if she can she has a chance to really help this team tremendously in a few areas that we do need it so we'll see what comes about with that with that Chance The Rapper said before we leave I do want to get into the last topic here and that is Chance the Rapper uh was actually interviewed and talked about the WNBA and he said this it's amazing it's crazy because I I was new to the women's league when I first started you know going to games in 2000 2020 2021 and watch that team win their Championship was such an energizing thing for the whole city like the parade the way that people just had pride in sports uh team was kind of like you know it's reminiscent of when I was growing up uh and to see uh it become like this huge thing on the national stage has just been beautiful and revolutionary and when it when you when you hear somebody that said that that's new to it right um the fact that the the growing game the growing popularity of the WNBA has been something that's drawn in a lot of new fans many of you guys who watch this channel every time we post a video now I can't say daily because we haven't been that consistent have will'll admit it you guys are new to the WNBA and I got to give the WNBA credit I want to just take some time to give the W credit for I've said if you guys go back and watch the older episodes I talked so oftenly about how I did not think the WNBA was even in a place to be ready to grow only because I don't know if they were going to do the marketing and those things right and why has not been perfect it's been much better than what I gave it credit for the way that WNBA handled all-star weekend this year was tremendous and the marketing aspect of it yeah the product on the court was great but the marketing aspect of it this is we in a unique place where we get to see a league really take Leaps and Bounds I wasn't around well guess I was for the the grow of the of the NBA globally I was a kid I didn't really think about I was watching Michael Jordan and Scotti Pippen play basketball didn't really care about the game growing internationally right like but the game this WNBA game is growing at such an exponential level and and adopting new fans that I'm glad that it's been welcoming and while it's been discourse of course with Caitlyn Clark fans and Angel ree fans and things like that I just love the fact that the W is finally growing and getting the attention that it deserves on the national stage let's hope that this continues but you guys can follow the show at at Chicagos Sky pod you can send us any feedback questions comments concerns Chicagos skyc Central gmail.com and then lastly if you want to leave a text message and our voice mail for the mailbag the number to do so 773 27027 no wait before we go we actually got a voicemail I'm giving this up too quick we got a voicemail this one's from Brooklyn let's go ahead and play that now y Chicago Sky what's good it's your boy Brooklyn 80s um I just wanted to call in since the season about to pick back up and get my opinion on the new looks guy for the trade so first off I want to give uh Marina her flowers you know what I'm saying um I know a lot of people feel I mix feelings about the trade but I want to give her her flowers because I feel like even though she asked to leave she um she not leaving on bad terms I think she had good chemistry with the team while she was here but I do think it was time for her to go you know what I'm saying I was one of the people asking for her to go asking for Danny to go you know what I mean and you know good uh good luck to her and hopefully you know she she uh have a good season with the Sun but uh as for us I feel like this tra actually help us out a lot and the reason why I'm saying that is not because see Marina is a better player than on your wedding but on your wedding is a way better fit then Marina if she could do it I think she could do it just hit that cor three we have two bigs right that Ain dominant and we have a a a guard that's that that wants to get into the paint as well so we need the biggest thing we need is floor spacing so even though Marina was a you know great threat for some thre she struggled this year but she was a great threat for for from three um somebody who just wanted stand in a corner I think is much more important than somebody with the ball at the top of the key trying to run a play right because now with Marina with the ball up top her being our three-point shooter she's not spacing the floor for us right it's it's it's people in the corners that they sagging off that you know in the past Couldn't Shoot the three and it was her at the top who could shoot the three but she's being guarded now instead we're going to have somebody like Lindsay Allen at the top and we're going to have two people in those Corners who could knock down that three of they sag off which is going to create more space that's why I feel like this trade even though Marina you know is a better player and probably our best three-point shooter this trade actually make us a better team um so yeah I wanted to touch on that and then I'mma actually call back to to uh get my thoughts on the bench CU I feel like the bench um I feel like we got an issue that nobody's talking about so thanks for taking the call your boy Brooklyn 80s and he talks about Michaela onwar day and I'll say this uh I think that Michaela on wde can can seamlessly fit in with her skill set but just because you're a better fit doesn't mean you get better it equals to better production for the team and that's something that remains to be seen I'm not saying that it won't be but we got to see if her better fit defensively the versatility how she can still shoot the ball and how she's just more naturally of a role player right so she's not going to necessarily call for as many shots as Marina maber was getting and so that can either help other players kind of find their Rhythm offensively but we also got to move the ball around she's an okay passer as well so that's things that we got to see how that fits going to happen for the Chicago Sky um but I do think Michaela on where day like I said in the last segment she has a really big chance to really grow her game and to show that she belongs on the stage and let's hope that she can do it but all right now that's the end of the show guys make sure you guys are following the show at Chicago skypod you send us any feedback questions comments concerns Chicago Sky Central gmail.com lastly if you want to leave a text message and our voicemail for the mailbag the number to do so 77327 2799 we're the number one spot for everything Chicago Sky related that's thanks to you guys and like I like to in every episode on ghost guy love you guys and I'll see you guys the next time we go to Sky Town y'all peace this has been a presentation of the break media