Expanded roles highlight Angel Reese’s upside for Sky — and Ariel Atkins’ balancing act

PHOENIX — As Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins embrace new roles this season, they’ve leaned on a familiar base: defense.

Atkins, a five-time All-Defense selection, ranks fifth in the league in steals. Her ball pressure has been one of the Sky’s few constants on defense, most recently locking down Sabrina Ionescu when the Sky upset the Liberty last week.

Reese has provided her own lift, the league’s top defensive rebounder any way you slice it.

But the project of the season hasn’t been about continuing those past strengths. It’s been about growing into new roles. Head coach Tyler Marsh envisioned Reese as a playmaking hub, not just a rebounding machine. And the Sky envisioned Atkins as more than a defensive stopper and midrange master — someone who could carry the team offensively.

They’ve needed it.

“We really struggle when Ariel is not aggressive getting shots up,” Marsh said after a close loss to the Aces earlier this week. “The games that we have won… have been her higher attempted games.”

The Sky don’t have many natural playmakers or volume scorers in the backcourt, so much falls on Atkins. But Atkins has never averaged more than 13 shot attempts per game in her career, well below top guards like Ionescu or Kelsey Mitchell. Taking more shots is an even bigger challenge when she’s also guarding the opponent’s best player.

“She’s used to taking on tough assignments defensively,” Marsh said. “The combination of the two is something that she’s still growing into for us.”

Her season hasn’t fully revealed if this is the role that maximizes her game. Atkins’ field-goal attempts (11 per game) and scoring average (13.7) are both down from last season, but her impact is unmistakable. The Sky’s offensive rating drops almost 15% when she’s off the court. She’s scored 20-plus points in seven games this year, including 30 against the Aces.

Her voice has mattered too. She’s steady in practice — repeating play calls so everyone hears, encouraging shooters. And she asserts herself to defend the team and her teammates in public.

When Reese’s early season struggles became the subject of sometimes nasty online debate, Atkins called for empathy.

“This is a 23-year-old kid,” she said. “And the amount of crap that she gets on the day to day and she still shows up. Her crown is heavy.”

After the loss to the Aces, Atkins put the team’s record in perspective.

“We’re still learning as a team,” she said. “I know some people probably don’t like the way that sounds, be it that we’re toward the end of the season, but I don’t really care. Our goal is to build a foundation.”

The question is whether she’ll be part of it long-term.

Reese’s evolution has already made her central to the Sky’s future. She’s posted a league-leading 21 double-doubles and her first career triple-double — a glimpse of the Alyssa Thomas-style impact Marsh envisions. And she’s still only two years into her rookie contract.

Atkins’ situation is less certain. The Sky took a risk to acquire her, giving up a lottery pick — the chance at a four-year rookie deal. Now it’s her choice whether to stay.

Do her comments about building a foundation suggest she will? Atkins told the Sun-Times it’s too soon to know.

“For me it’s about leaving places better than you found them, regardless if you’re here next year or not,” she said. “At the end of the day, this is part of my journey. I don’t waste my time. I’m intentional about everything I do.”