WNBA: Natasha Cloud is energizing the New York Liberty

Her name is Natasha Cloud. But through three games, the newest member of the New York Liberty has been the sun. (And fortunately for her, not a Connecticut Sun.)

She is the bright, shining source of energy for the defending champions, injecting them with an urgency and intensity that staves off the shadows of staleness that typically cloud a post-title season.

On Saturday afternoon, as the Liberty escaped Indiana with a two-point win over the Fever, Cloud was, more specifically, the “Angry Sun” from World 2 of Super Mario Brothers 3 for original Nintendo. (Enjoy that washed millennial reference!) Once activated, the sun constantly looms, pestering Mario, the game’s protagonist, as he attempts to speed run through the desert. In Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Caitlin Clark, imagined by many to be the WNBA’s singular protagonist, played the part of Mario, unable to evade ever-present persistence of Cloud.

Cloud, who finished with five of the Liberty’s seven steals, was credited with four steals against Clark, deflecting passes, disrupting her dribble and, on the game’s final play, failing to be fooled by Clark’s foul baiting. Cloud immediately crowded Clark as the sophomore star caught the ball at the top of the key with less than three seconds remaining, keeping her hands close to Clark’s torso yet low, therefore to avoid swiping down on Clark’s arms and giving her the foul she wanted. From there, as Clark attempted to gather for an off-balance heave, Cloud knocked the ball away, leaving Clark flailing and the Liberty celebrating.

It was a performance that encapsulates Cloud’s generative defensive abilities, providing New York with point-of-attack precision and playmaking that the Liberty lacked last season, and doing it all with a contagious fire from which the customarily cool, calm champs can also benefit.

The instant defensive impact, however, was a given for Cloud. She’s a three-time All-Defense nominee who last season averaged a career-best 2.7 steals per game.

Any glimmer of concern about her fit in New York came on the offensive side of the ball. While Cloud has impressively improved as a playmaker, averaging almost seven assists per game last season, her shooting has always been streaky, with only one season shooting above 40 percent from the field and above 35 percent from 3 (2018). Through three games, she’s shooting better than 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3, plus 90 percent from the line. Those unsustainably excellent numbers have her scoring what would be a career high 18.7 points per game, all while also tossing a 7.7 dimes per contest.

Within the Liberty’s offensive environment, which thrives on the ability of the team’s core players to all shoot the 3, it is possible that Cloud can better maintain her scoring shine. When the Liberty doused the Chicago Sky with a WNBA single-game record 19 triples, Cloud made five, tying Kennedy Burke for the most on the team. Although most teams likely will muster a more disciplined defensive effort than Chicago, Cloud can expect to see a surfeit open catch-and-shoot opportunities from behind the arc throughout the season. Against Indy, she also swished two of her five 3-balls.

With defenses more concerned with the 3-point prowess of the Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Leonie Fiebich and Marine Johnannès, Cloud not only should accumulate good looks from deep, but also finish more effectively inside the arc. Thus far, she’s converting her attempts around the rim at an almost 64 percent rate, opting to get all the way to the basket for these more efficient attempts rather than settling for less optimal midrangers.

On offense, Cloud will not be the sun around which the rest of the offense orbits, but she certainly can be a source of energy, with her pace-pushing aggression and collaborative instincts, whether she is on the ball or off the ball, further fueling the processes that have made the New York attack one of the best in WNBA history.

Both sides of the ball. On the court and off the court. Spiritually and strategically. Natasha Cloud has powered the New York Liberty to a 3-0 start, energizing the team towards back-to-back titles.