Sky forward Alanna Smith has earned a reputation as a grunt-work player.
If her two previous injuries this season — both of which required stitches to her face — didn’t solidify it, her return from concussion protocol for the Sky’s 96-69 road victory Tuesday against the Fever did.
Smith, who had four points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes, constantly is throwing herself into chaos. That willingness to put her body on the line earned her a starting role with the Sky and has her among the leading candidates to be voted the WNBA’s most improved player.
‘‘She wasn’t on a roster last year,’’ guard Courtney Williams said. ‘‘Now she’s a starter and she’s giving us quality minutes.’’
Had forward Isabelle Harrison not torn the meniscus in her left knee before the season began, Smith’s role would have been very different. In the Sky’s first three games, former coach/general manager James Wade went with Morgan Bertsch in his starting lineup.
When Bertsch went down with an ankle injury May 26 against the Mystics, Wade called on Smith. In her fifth season in the league, Smith is averaging 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
Leading the conversation for most improved player is Sparks guard Jordin Canada, who turned a training-camp contract into a spot on the final roster. Canada stepped up after injuries to multiple teammates this season and established herself as the Sparks’ starting point guard. She’s averaging 13.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
Development
Many of the moves Wade made as the Sky’s GM this season before leaving to join the Raptors of the NBA have been met with heavy criticism. As the Sky face potential playoff elimination and risk sending a lottery pick to the Wings as a result of Wade’s trade for guard Marina Mabrey, that criticism is justified.
But one move he made that deserves praise was his claiming of forward Sika Kone off waivers before the Sky’s season opener. Kone was drafted by the Liberty with the 29th overall pick in 2022 and was a casualty of their veteran-heavy roster. The Liberty waived her May 16.
Kone is averaging less than eight minutes for the Sky, but she has made an impact in her last three appearances despite her limited role off the bench. In the Sky’s crucial victory last week against the Sparks, she had four points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.
‘‘I’m glad we let her play in AfroBasket,’’ interim coach/GM Emre Vatansever said. ‘‘She played a lot over there and got more confident. In practice, she’s showing her growth even in the short amount of time. Her athleticism is on another level. We put her in for 10 minutes, and she grabs five rebounds. She’s huge for us.’’
Injury updates
Vatansever told the Sun-Times in July that guard Rebekah Gardner (foot) and Harrison (knee) would be out for the rest of the season.
While Gardner has remained with the Sky all season, rehabbing with the team after having surgery in June to repair a broken left foot suffered May 26 against the Mystics, Harrison hasn’t been with the team for the majority of the season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her left knee. She opted to rehab in Dallas, where she had the surgery.
The Sky haven’t officially listed Gardner and Harrison out for the rest of the season, but Vatansever said there is no plan for them to return even if the Sky are able to secure a playoff spot.
