The 2024 WNBA season brings a different look compared to other seasons due to the 2024 Olympics. That brings an extended break period that started on July 18 and will last until August 14, giving teams a little over three weeks off from hoops.

While several WNBA players will be participating in the Olympics in Paris, the rest of the WNBA is using this time as much needed rest and break away from the hardwood. These 27 days of rest can be and will be a critical time for rookies and younger teams, with one of those teams being the Chicago Sky.

Both Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have been playing basketball for almost a year straight, dating back to 2023 with the start of their final collegiate seasons. Both Reese and Cardoso played all the way into April before heading to the WNBA draft and immediately starting training camp. Cardoso also suffered a shoulder injury during training camp that sidelined her until June 1.

“I don’t think [Angel and Kamilla] would ever say it to me or coach, but I’m sure they are dying to get a break,” Pagliocca said on Chicago Sky: No Limits. “They’ve been at it for months on end and right into a pro career where they’re playing heavy minutes. In all reality, they need a break, their bodies need a break. They’re young. They can handle a lot, but mentally going at it that long, they’ll look forward to it when it comes.”

These next few weeks will provide them both with time to just not touch a basketball and let their bodies heal and recover, and that goes across the board throughout the entire WNBA. Now, how the Sky use this time can end up determining if the team can sneak into the postseason for the 6th straight year.

The Sky are a younger team compared to the rest of the WNBA, and they’re a brand new team starting all the way at the top with GM Pagliocca and head coach Teresa Weatherspoon and then all the way through the bench. The roster also just got a new look with the trade of Marina Mabrey to Connecticut on July 17 and the acquisitions of two new guards in Moriah Jefferson and Rachel Banham.

Jefferson is also nursing an ankle injury and recovering from surgery she had on June 25 that sidelined her for 3 weeks. Those 3 weeks are up and now she’s joining a brand new team that will have a whole 2 weeks of just practice. No travel, no games. Just practice.

“Of course, I’m not trying to take that time off,” Weatherspoon said before the game against the Aces on July 16. “I want to continue to watch film and see where we can be better, what we can implement and then come back and work at it. The greatest thing is we have time to practice to get in those 2 weeks of work before we get back on the floor. That’s a huge part to be able to teach again and to implement some things we need down the stretch.”

With that practice time comes working on chemistry and just spending more time playing together. The one thing Weatherspoon loved seeing grow in the first half was the team finding ways to come together and play together. Reese and Cardoso have shown glimpses of an expanded shooting range and now will have the time to work on expanding their shot versatility. Lindsay Allen can spend more time running the point to help facilitate the offense. Chennedy Carter can learn her teammates spots to create more assists and feed the posts.

This mini-training camp that is coming in the form of an Olympic break is providing the Sky with not only time to improve on the Xs and Os but also give the team time to blend together. With the new additions and rise of Michaela Onyenwere and Isabelle Harrison, this team can absolutely use this time to grow together.

The Sky have a tall task for the first game back from break with Kahleah Copper making her return to Chicago for the first time this season when Chicago hosts the No. 6 Phoenix Mercury on August 15. That first game back will be a great measuring stick to see if that extra time together pays off with a win to open the second half of the WNBA season.