Rickea Jackson is embracing a clean slate with the Sky: ‘They get who I am’

“I promised her I would never let anyone do that,” Jackson said. “She was the first person that told me: ‘You can be so much more than a four player (power forward). You can do so much more than a post player. I want you to do everything.’”

Following McCray-Penson’s guidance, Jackson hopes to develop into a more versatile player in Chicago. She was asked mostly to play the four throughout her two seasons in Los Angeles, but that will change in Chicago, where veteran forward Azurá Stevens will slot into the four and move Jackson out to the wing.

Jackson embraces this shift, which will allow her to dig into 3-point shooting and floor-spacing. She believes the four and three are often interchangeable in the WNBA, reflecting a player’s preferences more than a locked-in expectation for a role.

“It’s evolving,” Jackson said. “Whoever you are as a player, I feel like that’s what that position is for you. If you are a four player that can handle, it’s going to look a little different — you can pop, you don’t have to roll. If you’re a generic post player, you’re probably going to roll a little bit more, set off screen. It has to be right for you.”

Coach Tyler Marsh and general manager Jeff Pagliocca are aligned in a vision for an extremely mobile frontcourt that will feature Jackson and Stevens flanking center Kamilla Cardoso. The Sky don’t want to limit their bigs to the low block and plan to stretch the floor as much as possible, which appeals to a smaller forward like Jackson.

This blueprint for the Sky’s style of play — heavy spacing with ample length on the wing — is what attracted Jackson to the team despite the “negativity” surrounding its perception after several losing seasons and star departures.

“From what I’ve seen so far, I’ve got nothing but positivity,” Jackson told reporters after practice Wednesday. “They’re standing in my ear and letting it be known: I need to score, I need to be a dog from the beginning. Them pushing me, that’s something that my career has been missing for a while. … It’s only Day 3 and honestly I’m going to run through a wall for Tyler, for Jeff.”

Jackson doesn’t hide the fact she wasn’t content in Los Angeles, where her minutes and role vacillated and the Sparks missed the playoffs both seasons. She acknowledged that the Sky have their own baggage but didn’t feel those concerns outweighed the hope she saw in the team’s future.

“The secret is, every front office has its flaws,” Jackson said. “Chicago is more under a microscope so it’s been more out there, but a lot of front offices have their flaws. Some are just better at hiding it.”

The Sky are eager to repair that reputation through investments such as a revamped player wellness staff and a new training facility. But Jackson has a simpler answer: “Winning heals all those things.”

Starting May 9 in Portland, Ore., she and the Sky will attempt to dole out that healing elixir.

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