PHOENIX — Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon doesn’t do comparisons.
Whether talking about herself, the WNBA or her players, she avoids them. But when it comes to how rookie Kamilla Cardoso stacks up with six-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, she gave in a bit.
“I want Kamilla to be Kamilla,” Weatherspoon said Thursday. “You always look at great players. It’s just the way basketball is. You look at great players and what they do, and you take some of the things you like and put them into your game.
“[Griner is] one of the greats. Kamilla had an opportunity to play against her, and now she knows what it is. Now you’ll learn how to play against it and understand what she does. It’s pretty powerful.”
Understanding what Griner does means checking out the patience she applies to her game. Griner methodically backs down defenders in the paint or creates space in the pick-and-roll, making her a matchup nightmare.
Cardoso learned that the hard way on Thursday when Griner went 10-for-12 and had 23 points in the Mercury’s victory at Wintrust Arena.
The Sky played the Mercury for the second time in four days Sunday, giving Cardoso a second chance at slowing down the player many have likened her to — potentially anyway.
Cardoso had 12 points and four rebounds in only 16 minutes in the Sky’s 86-68 loss to the Mercury. She went 6-for-7 from the field. Griner scored 18 points, shot 7-for-14 from the field and grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes.
Angel Reese had 19 points and 20 rebounds but was a minus-20. Diana Taurasi had a game-high 23 points for the Mercury.
In her rookie season, Griner averaged 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds and was named an All-Star. Cardoso was averaging 8.3 points and eight rebounds entering the game.
That’s the biggest difference between them. Griner’s skills have been there since her rookie season.
Cardoso is better in transition. She can run the floor with her guards as opposed to being a trailing big like many of her peers. She credits her time with coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina for helping her improve her speed in transition.
But she still can improve her footwork, her primary and secondary reads in the post, and facing up against defenders.
“The game has slowed down for her,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “A good indication of that was against L.A. She was reading ball screens a lot better and using her body. She understands the physicality of the game, where there’s bigger, stronger players at her position that she’s going to have to fight against to gain positioning.”
Weatherspoon said she has seen daily improvements in Cardoso’s game, but most important has been the growth in confidence. Like Pagliocca, she referred to her performance against the Sparks on Saturday.
“She has all of the ability in the world to get it done and be one of the best post players out there, dominating the block and dominating the post,” Weatherspoon said.
Cardoso watched Griner growing up. She admired Griner’s ability to balance poise in the post with aggressiveness.
Now that she’s competing against Griner, Cardoso said she isn’t considering the lessons she’s learning while defending her. Weatherspoon, however, knows that in each meeting, Cardoso unlocks a new level in her game.
“BG knows how to get shots off and create space,” Weatherspoon said Thursday. “It’s something that Kamilla learns from. She knows what she has to do down the stretch when we meet them again. You learn how great these players are, and you take some of the things that they do, and you learn how to defend it.”
The Sky will meet the Mercury once more during the regular season on Sept. 15 at Wintrust Arena.
“There are a lot of people who see sports as an escape,” Brianna Turner said. “They get to clock out of their jobs and whatever they do with their day-to-day life and watch sports to kind of take their minds off things. At the end of the day, yes, we’re athletes, but at the same time, we’re humans. We’re voters.”
The Sky’s issue is that they’re far from a team that is one player away from a deep postseason run.
Rookie Angel Reese led the Sky with 19 points and 20 rebounds for her 20th double-double of the season.
