Sky explore – Rickea Jackson’s season-ending torn ACL left the Chicago Sky short on scoring and height. The team tried Natasha Cloud in Jackson’s spot, is exploring a hardship contract ahead of Saturday’s rematch with the Lynx, and is watching whether Azurá Stevens can retu
Rickea Jackson’s injury didn’t just take away a starter—it carved out a specific kind of production the Chicago Sky can’t replace overnight.
Jackson’s MRI revealed a torn ACL in her left knee, and she suffered it on May 17 against the Lynx. In the Sky’s first game without her. they gave it a real shot—then watched the gap widen in the fourth quarter. when Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale took over and the Sky couldn’t find an answer in a 99-89 loss to the Wings.
The Sky’s attempt to fill the spot started Wednesday when they put guard Natasha Cloud into Jackson’s role. immediately asking someone else to carry a heavier offensive load. Cloud delivered 21 points and eight rebounds in the home opener. but it was still not enough to offset the missing final push the Sky usually get from an elite closer and shotmaker.
Coach Tyler Marsh described the challenge in plain terms: the Sky are dealing with more than one absence. Losing Jackson also leaves them undersized and undermanned. with only two players on the active roster—Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams—listed taller than 6 feet. Wings forward Jessica Shepard took advantage of that matchup, finishing with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Chicago entered the game with just eight fully rostered active players. plus two development players. Aicha Coulibaly and Maddy Westbeld. who are only eligible to play in 12 games apiece. That leaves the Sky in a position where the next move may not be about strategy at all—it may be about roster rules.
They’re exploring a hardship contract ahead of their rematch Saturday against the Lynx. A hardship contract would allow the Sky to sign a player to a short-term deal while they wait for injured players to return.
For the longer term, Marsh said the immediate job is simpler: figure out what the roster looks like once it’s healthy.
“I think we have enough right now,” Marsh said. “What we’re looking at is for the players that we have to be healthy. We haven’t really had a good glimpse of that yet. Once we do, we’ll have a better understanding of what holes still need to be filled. We’ve got a lot of quality players that need to come back. We’ll get them back slowly but surely. I’m really pleased and proud of what the group that is healthy has been able to do thus far.”.
The list of players rehabbing injuries without clear return timelines includes Azurá Stevens, Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington.
Stevens is the most immediate fix in the Sky’s thinking. The 6-6 stretch big is the closest thing on the roster to what Jackson offered—scoring. outside shooting and length—and she’s also considered the nearest to returning. Marsh said the medical staff believes Stevens could be available Saturday. but Stevens sat out against the Wings and has yet to return to five-on-five action in practice.
Even with the uncertainty, the Sky did get one reminder of what stability can look like. Point guard Skylar Diggins missed a game in Minnesota after taking a shot to the face in Phoenix last week. But after seeing several eye specialists. she was cleared to play Tuesday. returned to the starting lineup against the Wings and scored 15 points.
In her own words, Diggins framed the moment as less dramatic than it might have looked on a box score. “[I’ve] been battling some dumb [stuff] personally, with injuries and stupid [stuff], so just got to get into the swing of it,” she said. “But I ain’t tripping. I still love our squad.”
The Sky are trying to carry that same steadiness into Saturday’s rematch, but the missing piece is still obvious: without Jackson, they’re left searching for an answer to how to close games when top scorers like Bueckers and Ogunbowale surge.
There’s also the larger hope that a younger contributor can soften the blow. Coaches and players keep coming back to Gabriela Jaquez, the Sky’s No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft. with the message that she’s “not a rookie.” Or at least she doesn’t play like one. Jaquez is averaging 12.5 points in 30 minutes while making plays that show veteran savvy.
Diggins pointed to something she sees in Jaquez’s preparation and feel for the game. “You can tell she’s been around pros her whole life,” Diggins said.
Jaquez’s older brother, Jaime Jaquez Jr., just finished his third season with the Heat.
For now, though, the Sky’s season is being shaped by a single injury—Rickea Jackson’s torn ACL that occurred May 17 against the Lynx—and the immediate question it creates: can Chicago find enough depth and scoring before the lineup is forced to rely on less familiar combinations again?
Chicago Sky Rickea Jackson ACL injury Natasha Cloud Azurá Stevens hardship contract Lynx rematch women’s basketball
Damn ACLs are brutal.
So they “tried” Natasha Cloud in her spot and still got cooked… typical. It’s like the Wings knew she was gonna have to carry and just overloaded it.
I don’t even get the hardship contract thing. Like can’t they just sign somebody off the street?? If they’re short on height how does that even fix anything. Also Paige Bueckers and Arike—wasn’t that the game where everyone said the Sky were fine until the 4th??
Only two guys over 6 foot?? That’s wild. And they were already down to like 8 active players? But then they’re “exploring” a hardship deal like that’s instant. I swear teams act like MRI injuries are optional, just rotate harder or something. Hope Rickea Jackson is back soon though, ACLs take forever.