The Chicago Sky were clearly impressed with their 2024 first-round draft picks. Especially Angel Reese put the league on notice as a rookie, and the Sky wasted no time trying to build a better roster around her and Kamilla Cardoso. They signed veterans Courtney Vandersloot, Rebecca Allen, and Kia Nurse in free agency and traded their lottery pick for Ariel Atkins.
Trading the third overall pick is not something an organization does unless they are sure their young players can take a step forward. Reese and Cardoso have both had some big performances this offseason, playing in Unrivaled and China, respectively. Nevertheless, there is plenty the Sky still have to figure out.
One question they need to answer is how sustainable their Reese-Cardoso frontcourt truly is in the modern WNBA. The potential is certainly there, especially defensively, but the current lack of spacing could pose a serious problem.
The Sky need one of their bigs to develop a 3-point shot
Playing two bigs like Reese and Cardoso next to each other is much easier if at least one of them can space the floor. That is not currently the case. Cardoso did not attempt any threes in the 2024 seasons, and Reese only took 0.5 per game, converting just 18.8 percent of them.
While Reese has evidently been working on her shot this offseason, she has only made one of her seven attempts from three over 12 games in Unrivaled. Meanwhile, Cardoso has only taken three shots from long range over 33 games in China and did not convert any of them.
Playing two frontcourt players who cannot space the floor can work, even in the modern game, but it is challenging, especially because the Sky do not have many strong volume shooters around Reese and Cardoso. The only players currently on the roster who shot more than 35 percent from three last season are Rebecca Allen, Ariel Atkins, Rachel Banham, and Michaela Onyenwere. Out of those four, only Atkins averaged at least five attempts per game.
The Sky already had some success with their young frontcourt and deserve some time to figure out the best way to play Reese and Cardoso together, but they do not have indefinite time and may have to make a tough decision eventually. Unless Cardoso can take a massive leap in the 2025 season, Reese will be the face of the franchise, and the Sky’s priority should be to put her in the best position possible.
That may very well mean playing her next to a big with a more diverse skill set and moving on from Cardoso. However, if one of them—most likely Reese—the Sky could have one of the best frontcourts in the league for years to come. In Unrivaled, Reese’s team does not really need her to shoot threes, so her lack of shooting in the new 3-on-3 league may not accurately foreshadow what she will bring to the WNBA in the 2025 season.