Rachel

Banham

Banham recorded a season and career high in assists in her final game of the 2025 season. Banham, a natural shooting guard, saw extended minutes for the Sky at the one especially following Courtney Vandersloot’s season-ending ACL injury. She accounted for 10 of the Sky’s 25 assists on Thursday night and had her most assists in the second quarter when she registered five. Banham found five different teammates including her most consistent target Kamilla Cardoso, who scored 10 of her points off Banham assists, in addition to shots for Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse, Michaela Onyenwere and Maddy Westbeld.

Banham tied a team-high in points on Sunday and was one of three players to make a three-pointer. The veteran guard also contributed as a passer and, additionally, utilized active hands on the defensive end to collect a couple of steals. Sunday’s performance against the Aces was far from one of Banham’s best of the season, but it stood out on a night in which the Sky struggled on the offensive end as a team.

In a rough offensive game for the Sky, Williams still manage to stuff the stat sheet. She began the game by scoring eight points of her 10 total in the first quarter on a few hook shots deep in the paint in addition to a post-up on wing Janelle Salaün. While Williams began the game shooting 4-for-5 from the field, she only hit one more shot in the final three quarters. Williams didn’t just score but facilitated and found Rachel Banham for two of her three-point makes in addition to two high-low passes to Kamilla Carodoso. Williams added some defense as well picking up five boards in addition to two emphatic blocks on Kate Martin and Temi Fágbénlé right at the rim.

The Sky’s most efficient and effective offense on Friday night was when it was run right through Cardoso. Sky guards in Sevgi Uzun and Hailey Van Lith either founder her posted up on mismatches or took advantage of her speed when she rolls on some pick-and-roll actions. Front court partner Elizabeth Williams found Cardoso on high-low passes for two of her four assists. Also, Cardoso was the Sky’s most effective playmaker. She registered five total assists, her season high. She created scores for four different teammates including Uzun, Williams Ariel Atkins and Rachel Banham. She set screens for Uzun and Banham while she found Williams and Atkins when they had advantageous driving lanes.

All but one of Banham’s made field goals came on assists from forwards or centers. Elizabeth Williams, Kamilla Cardoso and Michaela Onyenwere all found Banham for open shots via an extra pass or on a dribble handoff. In each of Banham’s last four games including Friday night, she’s not only hit double-digit scoring but she’s also hit three three-pointers. Also, in two straight games Banham has had exactly two assists and five rebounds. Her two assists were on a drive-and-kick to Sevgi Uzun and then to Ariel Atkins who had an open driving lane to the paint.

Banham was one of the few Chicago players to find production on the offensive end on Saturday. She led the Sky in scoring and, although she only had a few assists, finished as one of the leading playmakers on the night. She ultimately played only 26 minutes in the blowout loss, but displayed the three-point shooting and scoring that have remained consistent with her throughout the season. Banham will look to put together a third straight game of at least 10 points when the Sky face the Sun on Wednesday.

Van Lith played a few minutes at the end of Thursday’s loss to the Dream, but the rookie struggled with an ankle injury after the All-Star break. Her availability will not significantly impact Chicago’s rotation, as the Sky have relied on Rachel Banham and Sevgi Uzun to run the point.

Banham responded from a less-productive couple of games by leading all Sky players in scoring on Thursday. The veteran guard was efficient from the field and relied heavily on the three-point shot to make her way into double figures in scoring for the fifth time in her last seven games. Banham did a solid job on the glass, but not much else stood out in the loss to the Dream. Nonetheless, scoring and shooting are her biggest strengths, and she excelled in both areas on Thursday.

Atkins, who has missed Chicago’s last seven games, is not on the final injury report ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with Washington. Whether she starts or comes off the bench, the veteran guard will not take on a full workload in her first game back. Rachel Banham’s playing time may decrease; the same goes for Kia Nurse.

Atkins has missed Chicago’s last seven games with a leg injury, leaving the Sky light on options on the perimeter. Sky head coach Tyler Marsh did not provide a specific minutes limit for the veteran guard, but the team will exercise caution with Atkins’ playing time in her first game back. Rachel Banham has played heavy minutes recently, so getting Atkins back into the fold should benefit her.