Column: If 2024 was about drafting the face of the Chicago Sky, 2025 is about building the team

I'm imagining the different ways Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca sent in the No. 11 overall pick to the WNBA.

Did he play it cool, select Ajša Sivka first and wait a few minutes? Or did he just say both Sivka and Hailey Van Lith's names at the same time and let the league figure out who to announce first?

Okay, so it probably wasn't the latter. But, Pagliocca was still shocked that TCU star Hailey Van Lith was there at the back end of the first round.

"We were surprised that Sivka was there. We're surprised Hailey was there," Pagliocca said. "We're sitting in a really good place right now."

The Sky now sit with a team that found its franchise players in 2024. Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are the cornerstone pieces the team is building around and remain in place after plenty of changes in the offseason.

In 2025, the Sky constructed a team around those two cornerstones. Monday's draft class was the final piece of a puzzle that added players that comprise a team. 

Not only do the Sky have a player who can contribute now in Van Lith, but they add Sivka, who has the potential to be in the future of the frontcourt, and two potential depth pieces that can play two ways.

Now, the Sky look like a playoff contender on paper.

This wasn't because of the draft. The draft was what tied it all together, but an offseason of trades and free-agent acquisitions give the Sky an outlook of a playoff-contending team they want to be. 

"We were always going to be looking to continue to add toughness to our roster," Pagliocca said. "We feel like that's a cornerstone of who we are (and) who we added in the offseason."

Turning the clock back to the beginning of this past offseason, the Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon after one season because they didn't reach the playoffs. They brought in Tyler Marsh to coach a playoff contender, but the Sky couldn't reach that goal unless they reshaped the roster.

Pagliocca traded the No. 3 overall pick to the Mystics for dependable scorer Ariel Atkins, brought back franchise legend Courtney Vandersloot, traded for Rebecca Allen and brought in Kia Nurse to play with Elizabeth Williams, Reese and Cardoso. Now, the Sky have a player in Van Lith that's played a lot of basketball and found success at plenty of levels.

That success took on a new form at TCU, where Van Lith led the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight and skyrocketed her draft stock. Plenty expected Van Lith to be gone by the time the Sky picked. She slid to No. 11, which surprised everyone at Sky HQ.

"In all reality, it's like you sit there and you wait and you have no idea what's going to happen," Pagliocca said. "You stick to the board. You stick to your strategy. It wasn't a ton of discussion because we were hoping to land her."

With her, the Sky get a player that's not going to shy away from any role the team gives her.

"She has a winning mindset," Marsh said. "She's got a toughness about her. There's no complacency there in terms of what her improvement and potential can be and that's part of the culture that we want to build here in Chicago."

Van Lith can contribute immediately at both point guard and shooting guard. She immediately gives the Sky a threat from the perimeter, but also a player who distributes that ball at a high level. That pairs well with the post presence the Sky already have in Reese and Cardoso, who showed they can be an elite-rebounding duo.

The Sky can add to that perimeter threat with Sivka, who is only 19 but has the shooting ability to make an impact off the bench if the Sky bring her into the fold right away.

"When you talk about Ajša, her ability to stretch the floor at her size, her ability to play inside out as well," Marsh said. "Certainly, she has that versatility."

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2025 WNBA Draft: Chicago Sky select Hailey Van Lith with No. 11 pick

The Chicago Sky grabbed a second first-round pick Monday night, who was a former teammate of Angel Reese.

If versatility is what the Sky want, they've become that after this draft. Adding to the perimeter with Van Lith and Sivka pairs with their second-round selections of Maddy Westbeld and Aicha Coulibaly, who will contend for the last roster spots.

Westbeld is a power forward that can shoot and rebound well, but she can also be effective in the pick-and-roll game. Westbeld can do the dirty work that can allow players like Reese, Cardoso or Atkins to shine.

Coulibaly is recovering from a knee injury, but brings the ability to finish at the rim and play high-level defense.  

"She is one of the hardest workers I know and one of the best two-way players I’ve ever coached," Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor told Fox 32 Chicago. "She trusted us two years ago when she joined our program and I know her best basketball is ahead. The Chicago Sky made a great selection for the future of their franchise."

This creates competition in Sky training camp that's immediately better than last season. It's not a knock on the 2024 roster, especially since the Sky stripped that roster down for picks and parts that gave way to the additions Pagliocca made this year.

If the goal is to be a perirenal playoff contender, the Sky have achieved that this offseason. They still need to prove it on the court, but they have to tools and talent to do it.

After proving they can be playoff contenders, they'll have to prove they can contend for a title. It starts with fitting what Marsh wants to be in his first year as the Sky's head coach.

"The word that comes to mind is versatile," Marsh said. "That's what we want to become this season."