A new hurdle was added to the Sky's push for the playoffs.
Tuesday, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon told reporters that shooting guard Diamond DeShields would not be available for Wednesday's game against the Mystics after injuring her right ankle Sunday. DeShields' injury brings the Sky to nine available players.
"Gotta get the job done," Weatherspoon said. "That's it. I don't see it any other way. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves."
At this point, it'd be understandable if the Sky did considering the injuries they've dealt with as a team all season. In June, veteran center Elizabeth Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury. Leading scorer Chennedy Carter missed four games due to illness after the Olympic break.
Most recently, rookie forward Angel Reese suffered a fracture right wrist in the Sky's win over the Sparks last year, sidelining her for the rest of the season. Tuesday she had surgery to repair the hairline fracture. Weatherspoon spoke with her before her surgery and said she was in "high spirits."
Reese shared on her TikTok that she will be able to return to full basketball activities in six weeks. Deshields' timetable is unknown at this point, but Weatherspoon was optimistic, given that it's just a sprain.
DeShields spent Tuesday's practice in street clothes with a boot on her right foot, navigating through Sachs Recreation Center using a mobility scooter.
The Sky are eligible to add a player without waiving another via the league's roster hardship rule. The rule states that if one player (Williams in the Sky's case) is injured and has already missed at least two games, and is determined to be out for an additional eight games and a second player (Reese) has already missed at least one game and is determined to miss an additional three games the team becomes eligible to sign a player.
DeShields' injury also qualifies the Sky for the league's emergency hardship exception which can be utilized, with league approval, if a team drops below 10 available players.
This technically means the Sky could add two players, however it's unlikely they will add any before Wednesday.
"We are exploring all of our options," Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said.
The issue for Pagliocca at this stage in the season is that there are very few WNBA-ready players for him to choose from. Many fringe WNBA players have already begun their overseas seasons. The Sky also have a very specific need.
The Sky's roster is deep at the guard and forward positions. What they are lacking, and have all season, is another dynamic scoring threat on the wing.
The Sky's game against the Mystics on Wednesday and the Dream on Sept. 17 come with significant playoff implications with only five games remaining. They are two games ahead of the Mystics and have a fluctuating game advantage over the Dream for the last available spot in the postseason. If the season were to end today, they would meet the Liberty in a best-of-three first-round series.
"Most people counted us out from the very beginning," Weatherspoon said. "Of course, they really are counting us out now because of all the injuries. We haven't. Is it tough? You're going against teams fighting to get into the playoffs as well. You're fighting against teams that are trying to level themselves up as well. So, it's tough.
If you're about a challenge, and this team is about a challenge, you just go meet it."
