{"id":835385,"date":"2026-09-03T20:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835385\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T20:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T20:00:13","slug":"the-sky-need-to-help-gabriela-jaquez-rediscover-her-hot-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835385\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sky need to help Gabriela Jaquez rediscover her hot start"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gabriela Jaquez\u2019s first four WNBA<\/a> games made her look wise beyond her years.<\/p>\n

The rookie made bold drives to the basket. She came up with steals in crucial moments. She did the little things, getting deflections and sprinting the floor in transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is no rookie,\u201d veteran Natasha Cloud said after the Sky<\/a> beat the Lynx on the road, complimenting Jaquez\u2019s immediate grasp of the pro game.<\/p>\n

The Sky were forming an identity that reflected players like Cloud and Jaquez \u2014 gritty underdogs, jacks-of-all-trades if masters of none. They were 3-1 then, and one could almost taste the victorious trajectory: Jaquez would prove she was a sleeper pick at No. 5, and the Sky would prove their roster retool had made them worthy of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Sky\u2019s unraveling will need to be studied for years to come. Jaquez\u2019s fall-off is layered too, but a hyperextended knee in late May definitely knocked her off course.<\/p>\n

By the time she returned from the injury, the Sky were in the depths of an eight-game losing streak.<\/p>\n

She still drove hard into the paint, but seemed unsure whether to finish with a floater or pull up jumper. She generated fewer steals and was no longer always in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n

She looked more like a rookie. She was also treated more like one, or at least like a player who had not fully earned her coach\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

At times, Jaquez was a steady part of the rotation. In other games, she played fewer than five minutes.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, her production declined. In her first 14 games, Jaquez averaged 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 33% from three-point range. Since June 26, she\u2019s averaged only 4.4 points and two rebounds while shooting 19.4% from three.<\/p>\n

Jaquez was asked this past Saturday about the challenge of establishing herself despite inconsistent playing time. She answered as she typically does: by demonstrating a growth mindset and a willingness to make the most of any opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not gonna be easy,\u201d she said. \u201cNothing\u2019s handed to you. Obviously, I have had my ups and downs, more playing time, less playing time. Knowing that every game\u2019s gonna bring something different and I just have to stay ready. We have a lot of guards on this team, but when I go in, how can I make a difference? How can I bring a spark? That\u2019s just my mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a realistic, pro\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

Still, the sudden reversal of fortune over the past five months has to be frustrating for the 22-year-old. In April, she won the national championship at UCLA, was drafted No. 5 and became a key contributor on a surprisingly good team.<\/p>\n

Now there are four games left in the regular season, her team missed the playoffs and her role never solidified.<\/p>\n

When pressed about Jaquez\u2019s playing time, as coaches of lottery picks inevitably are, Tyler Marsh has said the inconsistency is not about her, per se. The Sky have a lot of guards, it is difficult to find minutes for everyone, and he has gone with whoever is playing well on a given night.<\/p>\n

In Marsh\u2019s defense, all of that is true. He has to respond to the flow of a game. But the moment the Sky were eliminated from the playoffs \u2014 almost a month ago now \u2014 he should have pivoted and prioritized Jaquez. Instead, her minutes have only increased meaningfully in the last two games.<\/p>\n

It raises some harsh questions for the organization.<\/p>\n

Should they have drafted another guard, such as Flau\u2019jae Johnson or Kiki Rice, both of whom have produced more complete rookie seasons?<\/p>\n

Or did the coaching staff mishandle her development or rattle her confidence?<\/p>\n

Self-doubt about her recent struggles could be holding her back.<\/p>\n

What Jaquez needs to remember is this: The player who came out of the gates with confidence \u2014 driving hard, disrupting passing lanes and doing all the little things \u2014 did not disappear.<\/p>\n

The last four games of the regular season should be all about finding her again.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Golden<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Martin was recently released from the Sparks, and the Sky had a spot open after the Mercury poached Maddy Westbeld. <\/p>\n

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read<\/p>\n

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\"Sky<\/p>\n

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The veteran point guard has been shut down for the season and remains under contract through 2027. But after a rough first year together, Diggins and the Sky have reason to reevaluate whether they want to run it back.<\/p>\n

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\"Las<\/p>\n

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With the Sky eliminated from playoff contention and only four games remaining in the season, there was little incentive for her to return. She\u2019s been rehabbing a knee injury since early July.<\/p>\n

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