Angel Reese Devastated by Courtney Vandersloot’s Injury Amidst Terrible Season

Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky will need to figure out a different game plan to work around the loss of Courtney Vandersloot.

Angel Reese Devastated by Courtney Vandersloot’s Injury Amidst Terrible Season

Losing Courtney Vandersloot to injury is a major loss for Angel Reese's Sky (Image via FirstSportz)

Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese came into the 2025 season with the hopes of translating her success in the Unrivaled league into the WNBA. Much of that hope was pinned on a retooled team featuring veterans with championship-winning experience.

The season, however, has not started as expected, as the Sky stand 3rd from bottom with a 2-5 record. The latest loss was to a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever, which begged the question as to how badly the Sky are struggling.

They have the second-worst points differential in the league as their chemistry woes have led to some disconnected basketball. The team was hoping the previous two wins against the league-worst Dallas Wings would help start a run, but the Fever put them in their place with an embarrassing score of 79-52.

Those 52 points happen to be the 2nd worst in the Sky’s history, a sign that things are not good. They need their chemistry to build up faster if they are to start winning consistently. However, they were dealt another blow in the Fever game after veteran starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot went down with an injury.

She clutched her knee and was writhing in pain, and had to be helped off the court. Later on, the Chicago Sky confirmed that the 2-time champion had torn her ACL and would miss the rest of the year. To this, Angel Reese sent out a tweet with a hands-folded emoticon.

Angel Reese knows the implications of Courtney Vandersloot’s injury

Angel Reese and her young teammates were leaning on the experience that the likes of Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins, and Rebecca Allen brought. The latter two are crucial to their chances, but the point guard is the engine of any team.

Losing Courtney Vandersloot for the season will force the Chicago Sky to change their strategy. Now they have to build their offensive and defensive schemes differently, which usually means that they will need to readjust to how they play.

If the Indiana Fever took two games to figure out how to win without Caitlin Clark, the Sky could take longer. That is because the Fever were already in winning form and were not one of the worst offenses in the league.

The Sky were already poor in terms of offensive output, and Vandersloot was one of their primary scorers. Angel Reese probably realizes that this development will either be a major hindrance in their hopes of reaching the playoffs or, if they believe in themselves, they can use this as motivation.

Angel Reese will need to step up as a young leader

Seven games in, and Angel Reese has found herself being trolled for her choices on both offense and defense. Her offseason workouts, as well as the form that she displayed in the Unrivaled league, have not translated.

Angel Reese will need to step up for the Chicago Sky
Angel Reese will need to step up for the Chicago Sky (Image via WNBA/X)

This is the best opportunity for the 23-year-old to step up. If she leads her Chicago Sky by example and pushes her teammates to play better in the face of adversity, they can turn their season around. It will also go a long way toward repairing Reese’s reputation.

All she needs is to return to her usual double-double standards. It would help greatly if she could improve her shooting efficiency. They are down from the near 40% from last season to a lowly 30% after 7 games. Fix that, and she can establish herself as one of the better young players in the league.

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