How much more can Kamilla Cardoso grow during her second season with the Chicago Sky?
Should everything align in Chicago's favor, Cardoso may be in for a game-changing year with the Sky. She showed signs of stardom with the Women's Chinese Basketball Association this offseason, where she earned the league's International Player of the Year after a dominant season with the Shanghai Swordfish. The 6-foot-7 center will be an essential part of the Sky's ascent to the playoffs in her second season, especially after they pushed their chips in on a few big-time additions in the backcourt.
Cardoso proved to be a reliable defender and rebounder for Chicago in year one. She and forward Angel Reese elevated the Sky's ability to grab offensive rebounds. They soared to a league-high 10.9 o-boards per game after not placing higher than fourth in the WNBA in nearly a decade. Cardoso's shot-blocking can be a game-changing part of her skillset if she can continue to use her athleticism and defensive smarts to read and react to whatever her matchups throw her way.
Kamilla Cardoso must tap into her passing potential next season
Cardoso averaged 3.3 assists per game with the Swordfish after logging nearly two per contest with the Sky last season. The top-3 pick showed she had the vision to find her teammates from missed shots, quick passes and creative plays out of the pick-and-roll. Most importantly, she could be trusted to feed scorers off of cuts, which paved the way for plenty of buckets from the Sky's guards.
To continue her ascent for the Sky, she'll have to take that one step further.
Cardoso assisted Reese a total of nine times last season. Cardoso showed she could easily find her frontcourt partner out of double teams with her back to the basket, but advanced to the point of feeding her from further out as the 2024 season went on. Though she didn't attempt them at a high volume, Reese proved to be effective on cutting layups during her rookie season, especially when the Sky had other scoring options for defenders to worry about off the ball. She hit over 61% of her tries off cuts despite some early-season troubles, making it an underrated strength of her's on offense last season.
Cardoso can pave the way to a more creative offense that suits both of their skillsets if she can continue to tap into her passing potential under a new head coach in Tyler Marsh, who will be tasked with uplifting the big duo as they work their way back into playoff contention.