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With 8:40 left in the Chicago Sky’s 86-78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, the crowd at Wintrust Arena reached the loudest volume on Friday night for a layup.
It was an otherwise innocuous play — Courtney Williams fed a pass to Alanna Smith for a quick basket to punch the Sky ahead by six points. But fans met the moment with heightened enthusiasm, as the late-game spotlight highlighted a milestone for Williams: the first triple-double of her career.
Williams finished with 12 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for the fifth triple-double in franchise history. The score line reflected the impact Williams makes as a veteran — balancing hard-nosed defense with efficient offense to feed the Sky in every spot of the court.
“You don’t have a triple double without the team,” Williams said. “That was the big thing, man, just trusting me to play-make and knock down shots.”
“I definitely went crazy today,” she added with a laugh.
When she signed with the Sky, Williams knew what she could bring to the team: buoyant leadership, rigorous perimeter defense, one of the smoothest shots in the league. But her debut didn’t follow the script.
The 8.2 points per game are the lowest of Williams’ career since her rookie season — and only half the production of her All-Star season in 2021.
This dip in scoring was a somewhat expected byproduct of an adjusted role which places Williams on the ball as a playmaker rather than feeding her for spot-up opportunities. Her diminished scoring has been offset by a career-high 5.5 assists, which places her sixth overall in the league.
As Williams continued to adapt, Sky coach James Wade never wavered in his belief the guard would find her footing.
“She’s a high IQ player,” Wade said. “She just needed a bit to get used to our system.”
Williams echoed this call to patience, even through a scoring drought and a six-game losing streak. But she was equally vocal about the frustration that brewed underneath her low-scoring nights and career-low shooting percentage.
Now, however, the scoring tide is now turning for Williams, who has averaged 14.6 points over the past three games. She dropped 21 points in Wednesday’s win over the Sparks, leading the Sky in scoring and flashing the signature confidence that fuels her pull-up jumper.
“My mama told me I need to shoot more,” Williams joked.
Even as Williams finds the balance between shot-making and playmaking, she’s committed to embrace the versatility required from a point guard.
“It’s gonna change every game,” Williams said. “Because of (Marina Mabrey) gets on a heater, we’ve got to get her the ball. If Kahleah (Copper) gets on one, we’ve got to get her the ball. Every game is gonna look different. It’s not like every game I’m gonna be like, ‘Oh I gotta go for 20.’ That’s not what that consistency is going to look like.”
Wade didn’t specifically recruit Williams as a point guard. Instead, the switch came in the early weeks of the season. Williams is known for her talkative disposition on and off the court, chattering to teammates and chirping at opponents in a nonstop stream of dialogue.
Williams’ ability to spearhead the team’s communication naturally put her role as the on-ball leader of the offense.
“Courtney just stays on you,” Mabrey said. “She keeps talking and keeps talking. Even if you want to disengage, she won’t let you. She keeps staying on you and she keeps everyone in it and exactly where they’re supposed to be in that head space.”
The well-rounded night from Williams highlighted the importance of balanced performances powering the Sky offense.
All five starters logged double-digit score lines for the first time this season. Alanna Smith led scoring with 18 points, while Copper anchored the offense with 17 points on 66.7% shooting. Mabrey went 3-for-4 from 3-point range to tally 15 points. Elizabeth Williams clobbered three blocks while adding 12 points.
As the Sky try to move back above .500, Williams felt the win showcased promise for the team’s offense in the stretch before the All-Star break.
“When you’re continuously playing with somebody, you build that chemistry, you build that trust,” Williams said. “You learn when they want the ball, you learn how they want the ball. That’s something that you just build on.”
