MINNEAPOLIS — Sky coach/GM James Wade stood at center court with his hands on his knees, encouraging his new team not to let up.
The Lynx shot clock was ticking down, and as it inched closer to expiring, Wade’s energy intensified. On the court, the Sky matched their coach’s ferocity. As the Lynx heaved a shot attempt that missed the rim entirely, the sound of the shot clock expiring appeared to be music to the ears of a team committed to building its identity on the defensive end.
“We were very disruptive and disciplined,” Wade said. “We got a lot of deflections and were able to make them uncomfortable. That’s what we work on. We were there for each other and had each other’s back. We didn’t leave anybody out on an island.”
The Sky’s 14 steals and eight blocks failed to paint the complete picture of their smothering style of play. Forward Elizabeth Williams set the tone for her team early.
Her two blocks were impressive and seemed to come at decisive moments in the Sky’s first win and her 14 points were vital. But the real story of Williams’ game and what it will mean to the Sky this season came in certain unquantifiable moments. Her defensive reads allowed her to manipulate the Lynx posts in 1-vs-1 scenarios or recovering on the helpside.
Deflections are unkept in the WNBA but not within the Sky organization. After every game, Wade awards a WWE title belt to the player with the most deflections. Friday night, it belonged to Williams.
“Her defensive presence is amazing,” Wade said. “You have her out there smothering guards and our guards defending against posts, getting in passing lanes. We have players that are going to give their best and make sure they have [Williams’] back because they know she has their back on the defensive end.”
Friday’s game was Williams’ first back with her team since entering concussion protocol following the Sky’s preseason game against the Indiana Fever. It was her first concussion, so the medical staff was confident that all she needed was some time to rest. There are five stages to the league’s concussion protocols and as long as a player continues to progress, they typically are reintroduced to basketball activities after a week.
Williams said she’s back at full strength. Her game Friday night indicated as much.
The league’s 2016 Most-Improved Player and a 2020 All-Defensive Team member was arguably Wade’s most significant free-agency signing. Of course, trading for guard Marina Mabrey made a splash, but Williams is an established veteran with a proven track record of excellence in her play and leadership style.
Hours ahead of Game 1, Williams said she felt no pressure, just excitement for the season ahead. That seemed to be the emotion felt by the entire team. After the first few minutes of play, the Sky settled into a loose style that lent itself well to Wade’s free-flowing systems. They finished with 23 assists on 31 made field goals.
It’s apparent the Sky still have a lot of work to do regarding learning each other’s game. Certain passes in transition and lobs into the post were off the mark, but the Sky feel good about where they’re at one game into the season.
“We landed a lot of those transition passes that we didn’t land in the preseason,” Copper said. “When we talk about that 1% better every day, that’s that 1% right there. We can only get better.”