Moriah

Jefferson

Jefferson, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, has struggled with injuries this season. She only appeared in five games for the Sky, with her lone start coming in a July 16 loss to the Fever. Jefferson’s availability was not good enough to impact fantasy basketball, even after the Sky lost Courtney Vandersloot to a torn ACL. Chicago now has an additional roster spot to work with as the August 7 trade deadline approaches.

Having struggled with injuries for most of this season, Jefferson is again on the Sky injury report with a leg injury. She played one minute off the bench in Thursday’s loss to the Storm, resulting in Hailey Van Lith playing 24 minutes. However, with Van Lith questionable for Sunday’s game, Chicago may rely heavily on starter Rachel Banham to run the show.

With Ariel Atkins still sidelined by a leg injury, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh decided to start Nurse on Tuesday and move Moriah Jefferson to the bench. While Jefferson picked up a DNP-CD, Nurse stepped up with one of her most productive outings of the season. The 16 points were one shy of her season-high in that category, while the eight rebounds were the most in a game for Nurse since June 1, 2021, as a member of the Mercury. Whether she receives more opportunities to start depends on Atkins’ health, but Nurse has not been the most reliable streamer in that role.

Atkins injured her left leg during the first half of Chicago’s July 14 loss to the Lynx. Tuesday’s game will be the second she’s missed due to the injury, likely meaning that Moriah Jefferson will remain in the starting lineup. Jefferson has not been the best fantasy option this season after missing time due to injury, and that’s unlikely to change against the team with the WNBA’s best record.

With Ariel Atkins out with a left leg injury for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Dream, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh has inserted point guard Jefferson into the starting lineup. Atkins didn’t return after halftime during the Sky’s Monday night game against the Lynx after tweaking her leg right before the end of the second quarter. Dealing with her own knee injuries this season, Jefferson has seen limited playing time. She has only played in three games while averaging four minutes of play per game. Expect guard Kia Nurse and wing Rebecca Allen to get more minutes on the floor as a result of Atkins’ absence.

After watching his team commit 20 turnovers in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Mercury, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh made a change to the starting lineup. Banham was in on Sunday, with Kia Nurse (two rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes) moving to the bench. While the change did not result in a Sky victory, the team only committed nine turnovers on the day. Banham was not responsible for any, and her presence in the starting lineup appeared to benefit Ariel Atkins, who scored a season-high 29 points. While Chicago continues to bring Hailey Van Lith (two points, one assist and one steal in eight minutes) along slowly, Banham may be the best choice to start alongside Ariel Atkins. At least until Moriah Jefferson (leg; DNP-CD on Sunday despite being cleared) is allowed to play rotation minutes.

Point guard Jefferson has been battling an injury this entire season as the only game she’s played was on May 10 in the preseason when she played in 7 minutes against the Lynx. Since Courtney Vandersloot has been out with a torn ACL, the Sky have played more of Ariel Atkins at the point guard spot along with Rachel Banham and Hailey Van Lith.

Jefferson remains out for another game due to a leg injury that has kept her from playing at all this season. With Courtney Vandersloot (knee) done for the season, Ariel Atkins has shifted into the point guard role, with rookie Hailey Van Lith providing depth off the bench. That setup should continue for the foreseeable future.

Due to a leg injury, Jefferson has yet to make her first appearance of the season. With Courtney Vandersloot (knee) done for the rest of the season, the Sky started Rachel Banham at point guard in Tuesday’s loss to the Liberty. Due to the team’s desire to bring along rookie Hailey Van Lith slowly, Banham should retain the starting job for the foreseeable future.

Jefferson remains out for another game due to her leg injury. With Courtney Vandersloot (knee) done for the season, the Sky will have to rely heavily on rookie Hailey Van Lith and veteran Rachel Banham. While her experience may land the latter in the starting lineup, it would be unsurprising if the struggling Sky decided to go with Van Lith instead.