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Even Icarus had the chance to soar before he came crashing down.
After prematurely hurling themselves toward the promise of a postseason run with all their might, the Chicago Sky came up far short of affording such a luxury. They just couldn’t seem to wait to spiral downward after redlining a rebuild far before they could realistically climb their way back into playoff contention. Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca preached a “win-now” mentality after they won 13 games the season before and put all their eggs in the baskets of a rookie head coach and some newly-acquired veterans, something that was all but scrapped after just a handful of blowout losses to start the year.
While Chicago had a few statement wins, including four over the span of seven games in June and July, it would ultimately tumble to its worst win percentage since 2006 and continue to step back from its sky-high peak just a few years before.
Still, it wasn’t all melted wax and dashed playoff dreams for the Sky this year. Second-year center Kamilla Cardoso proved to be one of the few bright spots that saved the Windy City’s own from a full-on crash landing.
The former SEC star finished the year with averages of 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, which put her in second place on the Sky in both categories. She nearly hit the ground running after returning from a short stint in this year’s FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, where she continued to be a standout big for a Team Brazil squad that faced off against Team USA in the tournament’s finals. In a time when the Sky’s recent selections can ultimately determine their immediate and long-term future, players like Cardoso provided a small sense of hope before what could be a consequential few years for the sputtering squad.
Cardoso showed signs of improvement on offense during her second year in the Windy City. The 6-foot-7 center kept the same production on the o-boards while seeing a jump in her points and field goal attempts per game. She capped off the year with a season-high 15.6 points on just under 12 shots per game during the month of September, which included 21 points in a close loss to the New York Liberty. She shouldered a larger load on offense as her usage rating jumped to 22.5%, which put her just ahead of Liberty center Jonquel Jones for fifth place in the league among centers, according to WNBA.com.
While her consistency on the interior showed promise, her most intriguing point of improvement came from somewhere that could be much more game-changing.
Cardoso ended the year with 2.5 assists per game after logging just above three per contest with the WCBA’s Shanghai Swordfish in the offseason. She proved to be a solid passer alongside forward Angel Reese, who she assisted 20 times this season. The former top-3 pick earned five assists or more on six occasions this year, including a season-high six in an August loss to the Seattle Storm. She found Reese for a pair of makes on the inside and opened up room for her teammates to score off some more routine looks.
She will need to cut down on her turnovers after averaging 2.4 a game. Still, her passing from high and low, along with her interior presence, can make her an invaluable part of the Sky’s future.
It won’t completely show up on the stat sheet, but Cardoso proved to be a reliable interior anchor during her second season.
She averaged just over one block per game, which surpassed a proven defender in Elizabeth Williams for first place on the Sky. The All-Rookie center proved she could hold her own against her assignments while reinforcing her teammates when they needed her most. Her ability to deter shots off first or second attempts, along with her switching and vision against drives, made her a crucial part of the Sky’s struggling defense this season. Cardoso added 5.6 defensive rebounds per game, including just over seven in the month of July.
While the Sky will still need to find more consistent defenders, they can at least hang their hat on Cardoso’s interior defense for the time being. Chicago will still need to invest in perimeter defenders after nearly finishing in last place in the WNBA with an opponent 3-point percentage of 36.6%.
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