Chicago Sky standout suffers season-ending injury — and 2 key questions emerge

Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot has torn her right ACL, the team announced on Sunday evening. Vandersloot suffered the injury when she drove to the basket in Saturday’s match-up against the Indiana Fever and was carried off the court.

The 36-year-old guard has been one of Chicago’s top players this season, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 assists per game. In her absence, an already-difficult season for the Sky will only get more challenging.

Vandersloot, a five-time WNBA All-Star, has spent 12 of her 14 WNBA seasons with the Sky. She’s won two WNBA championships — one with the Sky and one with the New York Liberty — and ranks second all-time in WNBA regular season assists.

The injury immediately poses two questions: what does Vandersloot’s future look like, and how will Chicago survive the rest of the season without their floor general?

Most basketball players are sidelined for a year after tearing their ACLs, and it’s unlikely that Vandersloot will be able to return to the court any sooner.

As it currently stands, Vandersloot is the third-oldest player in the league, with only Seattle Storm forward Alysha Clark (aged 37) and Indiana Fever forward DeWanna Bonner (also aged 37) ahead of her. Whether the Hall of Fame point guard will endure a grueling rehab process and return to the floor remains to be seen.

The Sky are currently 2-5 and owners of the WNBA’s third-worst record. Now, they’ll be without their third-leading scorer and leading playmaker in Vandersloot. So far this season, offseason acquisition Ariel Atkins has been the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13.7 points on 43.2% shooting. But, the team’s decision to trade away the No. 3 pick to the Washington Mystics to acquire Atkins has been scrutinized — Sonia Citron, who the Mystics selected with the pick, has averaged 14.4 points on 48.9% shooting.

In addition, the Sky’s two star post players have struggled this season; Angel Reese, who was an All-Star last season and averaged 13.6 points on 39.1% shooting, is now down to 9.1 points per game on 30.9% shooting. Kamilla Cardoso’s efficiency has also regressed, albeit much more slightly — the 6’7 center went from averaging 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds on 52.1% shooting last season to 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds on 50.8% this season.

In Vandersloot’s absence, the Sky may decide to survey the trade market ahead of next month’s deadline to acquire younger talent or simply a playmaker to shoulder the point guard responsibilities.