Has Sky guard Ariel Atkins awoken?
She’s averaging more than 20 points per game over the last four contests — but more importantly, she sees it as necessary for the team’s success. When asked whether the team can peak with her scoring 12 to 15 points per game, as she was to start the season, she shook her head.
“I gotta be a good 20,” she said. “I think it just gives us a better opportunity to open up the offense for everybody else. If I’m being passive, it allows people to guard us all one-on-one versus creating advantages.”
That’s good news for the Sky (5-11), who are trying to climb back into the playoff picture. Her coaches all want her to level up — to evolve from the first act of her career, where defense was her main calling card and scoring a nice side dish.
She’s all in on the shift in mindset. But she doesn’t feel like she needs to change her personality, which has always been more low-key.
“I know what I’m capable of,” she said. “It might not be super ‘rah rah,’ but I’m going to get better.”
For Atkins, there’s no need to ditch the calm demeanor in favor of extra rahs. Leveling up depends on getting outside her comfort zone, not raising her voice. And she appreciates the Sky staff for pushing her there. When she starts playing passive, assistant coach Tanisha Wright will tell her, “No, we’re not doing that.”
One way she’s trying to stretch her game this season: get to the rim more. Atkins has made a living off her mid-range jumper, ranking second among all guards in efficiency (57%) from that range.
“If it’s not the first thing on the scout [about me], they should re-do the scout,” she said.
But that comfort can sometimes work against her. She admits it keeps her from attacking all the way to the rack, where she’s shooting just 50% and averaging only 1.6 attempts per game. The top players at her position, like Allisha Gray and Kelsey Plum, each average more than four shots at the rim per game.
One sign that change is coming? Atkins is getting to the line more — her highest rate since 2021, when she averaged a career-high 16.1 points. In a recent road loss to the Dream — which Sky players have pointed to as a turning point in the season — she got to the line 11 times and scored 29 points.
On Tuesday, Atkins will return to her former home in Washington to face the Mystics, the franchise where she earned five All-Defense selections and won a title in 2019. But her final season there started off brutally: the team opened 0-12, the worst start in league history, before nearly clawing its way into the playoffs.
Atkins has carried lessons from that stretch into the Sky’s early struggles.
“It can be demoralizing,” she said. “But it can also be like, ‘How do we push through? How do we figure it out?’”
Tuesday’s game will say a lot about how far the Sky have come. The first time they met, they gave up 40 points off turnovers and Atkins took just two fourth quarter shots. Since then, the Sky have taken better care of the ball, and Atkins has been more assertive.
Atkins’ scoring mindset is evolving. Her demeanor remains steady. And as the Sky build momentum, she’s aiming to be what they need: a good 20.