Skylar Diggins Is 35 and Already Carrying Chicago's Championship Hopes Into Portland

The Chicago Sky are walking into Saturday night's opener at the expansion Portland Fire with a roster that looks nothing like last year's disaster. After tying for the league low with just 10 wins, they went all in on a rebuild. And the centerpiece? Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins, who averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 assists for the Seattle Storm last season.

Here's the thing: Diggins is 35 years old, and she's being asked to be the vocal leader while star point guard Courtney Vandersloot rehabs a torn ACL from last June. That's a five-time All-Star out. Add in that DiJonai Carrington (foot) and Azura Stevens (knee) are also sidelined to start the season, and Chicago is leaning hard on Diggins' veteran presence to steady the ship.

Chicago Loaded Up in the Backcourt Like Never Before

Sky coach Tyler Marsh isn't apologizing for building a guard-heavy squad. The team brought in Natasha Cloud and Jacy Sheldon, drafted UCLA's Gabriela Jaquez in the first round, and added Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens to the frontcourt. When asked about the deep backcourt, Marsh kept it real: "I don't think you can go wrong with a lot of good guards, capable guards. It's not like we're just stock holding a bunch of players. It's players that can contribute and we're going to find ways to utilize them."

Chicago won't see their home court until May 20 against the Dallas Wings. They're kicking off a brutal four-game road trip, starting with Saturday in Portland.

Portland's Fire Are Building From Scratch

The expansion Fire are taking the opposite approach. Coach Alex Sarama, 30, is focused on defense first. "I feel in a pretty good place with where our defense is at," Sarama said. "The offense is gonna take a little longer. Just a new system, players doing a good job getting used to it."

Portland grabbed forward Bridget Carleton with the first pick of the expansion draft and also snagged guards Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker, plus guard/forward Haley Jones. Barker is all in on the grind: "When people make mistakes, we pick each other up. There's a lot of effort and energy, and you can't teach effort and energy."

This is Portland's second shot at a WNBA franchise. The original Fire folded after 2002. Saturday night kicks off four straight home games for the expansion squad.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.