# Four games left, three things the Sky still have to settle

> The Sky are out of the playoffs, but the last four games decide a coach's job, two rookies' futures, and whether the young core is real.
- Title: Four games left, three things the Sky still have to settle
- Summary: The Sky are out of the playoffs, but the last four games decide a coach's job, two rookies' futures, and whether the young core is real. Eliminated does not…
- Keywords: wnba, chicago sky, tyler marsh, rookies, playoffs, news, local, Four, games, left, three, things
- Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/09/14/three-things-still-at-stake-when-the-sky-return-from-the-fiba-break
- Published: 2026-09-14T22:48:18.847+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: wnba, chicago sky, tyler marsh, rookies, playoffs, news, local
## Back from the break
The Sky host the Mystics on Thursday night after the FIBA World Cup pause. Four regular-season games left, and they were knocked out of the playoff race before the break.
## Eliminated, not pointless
No postseason to chase, but three things still hang in the balance over the final stretch. A coach's job, two rookie trajectories, and a measuring stick.

> So, what's at stake in the final stretch? Here are three things still hanging in the balance.
## Marsh is on the clock
General manager Jeff Pagliocca may already have decided Tyler Marsh's fate. If he hasn't, a few more wins could help Marsh's case for a third season.
## The four-game sweep math
Win out and the Sky finish 19-25. That is close to double Marsh's win total from year one, which would read as real progress on paper.
## Why a sweep would matter
Running the table would mean beating six of the eight playoff teams. It would also show Marsh can keep a team playing hard after the season's stakes disappeared.
## Too little, too late?
A hot finish would not undo the games the Sky blew in the middle of the season, the ones that actually cost them a playoff spot.
## Pagliocca's stated position
The GM has said the roster was good enough to make the playoffs, injuries included. That framing puts the blame for missing on the coach.
## More minutes for the kids
Marsh has said the young players will see more court time down the stretch. That is the second thing at stake: getting the rookies pointed in the right direction again.
## Gabriela Jaquez lost her groove
The No. 5 overall pick looked like an All-Rookie lock through her first 15 starts. Then veterans came back from injury, she fell down the rotation, and the spark faded.
## A chance to prove it again
Real minutes would let Jaquez show the scrappy, dynamic wing from the early season was the true version, not a hot start.
## Sydney Taylor, finally healthy
The Sky's breakout rookie has not found her shot since a groin injury put her on a minutes restriction. She came back from the FIBA break healthy, and Marsh expects her workload to climb.
## The Mystics comparison
Marsh and Pagliocca have insisted all year that a core of Taylor, Jaquez, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson matches Washington's. Jackson has been out since mid-May with a torn left ACL.
## June was ugly
Washington beat Chicago 90-72 in early June while the Sky sat in a five-game losing streak and played disorganized, uninspired basketball.

> It was a troubling display of the divergent paths the teams were taking.
## Same start, different year
A year ago both teams were rebuilding around young talent. The Mystics are now 24-16 and hold the No. 7 seed, while the Sky are watching from outside again.
## Two games to make the case
Thursday at home and Sept. 24 on the road are the Sky's shot at proving they are a few tweaks from Washington's level. Competing would give that claim some credibility.

> Are the Sky really just a few tweaks and turns away from being on the Mystics' level?
## Key takeaway

Eliminated does not mean meaningless: these four games are the evidence Jeff Pagliocca will use to decide whether Tyler Marsh and this young core get another year.