Sky rookie Sydney Taylor has shown she can light it up off the bench. The question now is whether coach Tyler Marsh will grant her a bigger role.
The offense floundered in an 79-58 loss Friday against the Lynx at Wintrust Arena. The Sky have dropped four games in a row since losing leading scorer Rickea Jackson to a season-ending torn ACL.
So far, however, Marsh appears hesitant to fully embrace Taylor as the answer. After erupting for a team-high 27 points Wednesday against the Tempo, Taylor played only eight minutes in the first half against the Lynx.
Marsh said before the game that he thinks Taylor can be an answer ‘‘to some degree’’ for the loss of Jackson but that she’s still learning to play within his system and that there’s more to the equation than just scoring.
‘‘Rickea is tough shoes to fill for anyone,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve got to make that up in all areas where we can, on both ends of the floor.’’
The Sky did tighten up their defense, holding the league-leading Lynx to fewer than 80 points. Defense has been the team’s calling card, so it makes sense that a microwave scorer isn’t necessarily Marsh’s first priority in the rotation.
Plus, Marsh is right that no one player will replace Jackson.
But the Sky do need to start getting creative offensively, at least until they’re fully healthy.
Against the Lynx, none of their key weapons — Kamilla Cardoso, Azura Stevens or Natasha Cloud — got going early. The passing was sloppy. They made only five of their 30 three-pointers.
Taylor can help give them a different look.
She has a filthy crossover and a jumper so serene you might get caught admiring it while it’s happening in your face. Most important, on a team Marsh says passes up too many shots, she’s always hunting for hers.
Her play made an impression on Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. She read her players a stat — that Taylor had taken 22 shots in 23 minutes against the Tempo — to motivate them to defend her.
‘‘She has a real knack for putting the ball in the hole,’’ Reeve said. “She’s unafraid. She can change a game.
‘‘You talk about her, [but] it’s completely different when all of a sudden you get her on the court. You think you’re near her, and she’s shooting it.’’
Taylor played professionally in Poland before the Sky picked her up, and she has taken advantage of being relatively unknown in the WNBA.
‘‘That’s a perk of being a rookie: They’re not too familiar with my game,’’ she said at the shootaround Friday morning. ‘‘They were three, four or five feet off of me. I’m not used to that.’’
But the Lynx adjusted. Taylor took only two shots in the first half before sinking her first in the third quarter. She finished with seven points and four assists in 19 minutes.
Overall, she acknowledged she’s still figuring out how to fit her game to Marsh’s system and learn what he wants.
‘‘I’m used to being a heavy-scoring guard overseas, so [I’m] still trying to find that balance over here,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘I can score the ball at all levels, but [it’s] just knowing when to take shots in the offense, when my team needs me to score or when they need me to facilitate and find other people.’’
Taylor has plenty of room to grow, but she has the right attitude: a chip on her shoulder and hungry for more opportunities to prove herself.
‘‘I’m going out there like I’m still trying to make a roster spot every time I step on the floor,’’ she said. “Anytime I get in the game, it’s going to help me build my confidence. Just trying to get those minutes consistent.’’
Time will tell whether Marsh rewards it.
The Sky entered their game Friday against the Lynx last in the WNBA in defensive rebounding percentage. Players have been adamant that effort and attention to detail are the biggest factors.
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