WNBA fans call out ‘insanely bad’ Courtney Vandersloot take from ESPN

WNBA fans reacted strongly when ESPN’s projection of the Chicago Sky’s starting five didn’t include either Ariel Atkins or Courtney Vandersloot. With the WNBA Draft completed and teams making their final roster decisions ahead of the 2025 regular season, the sports media giant took a stab at projecting what the starting lineups would look like for each team.

The Chicago Sky underwent a lot of changes this offseason, including letting leading scorer Chennedy Carter walk after she was at odds with the coaching staff for the majority of the 2024 season. The also moved on from Marina Mabrey, trading her away to the Connecticut Sun in order to clear the way for Angel Reese to lead the team moving forward.

After making moves in free agency and via trade, the Sky reunited former LSU teammates when they drafted Hailey Van Lith with the 11th overall pick in the first round. WNBA fans don’t believe that she or Rachel Banham deserve starting spots to begin the year when the team has veterans like Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot to fill those roles.

“I’m trying to understand this is like a real or is fake? Because they really think that they are going to leave Sloot on the bench??” asked another fan.

“Imagine thinking they sent their first round pick to come off the bench,” said another fan about Atkins’ exclusion

“This shows media is clueless a lot of the times,” commented one fan.

“espn is…stupid cause huh” said one fan, poking fun at the sports media company.

“There no way in h*** vandersloot is coming off the bench,” said another fan. “…If that the case she should of stay in NY .. this is horrible analysis.”

What does the Chicago Sky future look like with Courtney Vandersloot and Co.?

While their exclusion of both Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot from the starting lineup might be a bit extreme before the season has even started, ESPN’s projection of the starting lineup might be a hint of the direction the team wants to head in. The team’s perspective is much more focused on their future.

The Sky have quietly created a solid young core around Angel Reese while complementing it with veterans throughout the roster. Having Courtney Vandersloot on the team gives both Atkins and Van Lith a mentor to learn from as they get comfortable in Chicago. Giving their rookies time to adjust to WNBA basketball is a smart move that could speed up the Sky’s rebuild.

Regardless of what decision they make, the Chicago Sky will go as far as Angel Reese can lead them this season. However, the team is on the search for a co-star who can lead the team alongside her as they continue to grow.

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Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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Edited by Zachary Howell