Sky preseason preview: Wade still working on establishing offensive identity

If the Sky’s practice Monday was any indication of what this team will look like offensively this season, fans can expect guard Courtney Vandersloot to get a boost in assists from first-round pick Katie Lou Samuelson.

“That’s what we brought her here for,” Vandersloot said with a laugh. “No, but seriously, I’m going to try and get her open looks. That’s what my job is and if she’s open, she’s going to knock it down.”

When the Sky opened training camp last week, first-year coach James Wade said he wanted his young team to find its identity quickly.

The day before the team’s preseason opener against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena, Wade said they’re still searching.

“We’re a team that’s not quite ready to start the season yet,” Wade said. “I want us to be a team that plays hard, that gives maximum effort and that’s hard to play against. That’s what I want our identity to be, but we’re not there yet.”

Leading to the identity problem is Wade is still waiting on his team to be complete.

Sky guard, Allie Quigley will rejoin the team Tuesday after fulfilling her obligations in Italy for Famila Wuber Schio and center Astou Ndour won’t join the team until closer to the start of the regular season.

Regardless of missing pieces, the Sky is on the way to establishing an uptempo offense that caters to the team’s impressive three-point shooting talent.

Wade wants his players to reach a point where they’re thinking less, playing more and establishing a rhythm on offense. This won’t be easy with the young talent he has on his roster, but with veterans such as Vandersloot and Quigley leading the charge, he has confidence they’ll get it done.

“Our offense is a lot different from what they’re probably used to,” Wade said. “There’s a lot of ball movement, a lot of action on two sides of the floor, but there’s different ways to get into that action. I’m going to put them in different situations and that can be challenging right now.

“It’s going to take us a couple of games, hopefully, [it’ll take] these two preseason games and the scrimmage next week to find our niche. If you give us another week or two, we’ll be fine.”

Another key is the development of Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams, who both say they have a new sense of confidence entering Year 2.

Williams, who is fresh off a championship season overseas, focused on her shot this offseason, averaging 14 points in 23 games for Spar Citylift Girona. She has no intentions of slowing now.

“I was getting a lot of shots up,” Williams said. “Learning how to miss and then bounce back and hit the next one. I think that’s the biggest difference in my game is just playing with more confidence, more fluidity and not second-guessing myself as much.”