Why are the Chicago Sky still struggling to feed the ball to Kamilla Cardoso? And can they find a solution in time?

Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, left, tries to score against Fever forward Aliyah Boston on June 23, 2024, at Wintrust Arena. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Sky had a simple goal ahead of their game Friday against the Los Angeles Sparks: Feed Kamilla Cardoso.

Coach Teresa Weatherspoon set the expectation. Without Cameron Brink on the court, the Sparks didn’t have the size or the speed to match Cardoso in the paint. Guard Chennedy Carter reiterated the marching orders as she warmed up: Feed the post early and often.

It took only three possessions for Cardoso to log an assist and four to make her first basket, but that production quickly dried up. At halftime, Cardoso had scored only six points. And despite snapping a seven-game losing streak with a 92-78 blowout, the Sky (12-22) managed to get only 12 points off eight attempts from Cardoso in a game designed for her to command the offense.

It’s the prevailing problem in Chicago. The Sky drafted Cardoso at No. 3 for a reason — they believe she can be one of the most dominant posts in WNBA history.

But with only six games left in her rookie season, Cardoso is averaging the second-fewest shot attempts (7.5) of any starting center in the league. And Weatherspoon wants the Sky to run a traditional inside-out offense that continuously cycles the ball through the post in order to create looks.

Why can’t the Sky feed Cardoso? And can they find a solution before they slip out of a playoff spot?

Putting things in motion

While Cardoso’s height — 6-foot-7 — is often the focal point of her prowess as a center, it should always be paired with her other killer trait: speed. Cardoso doesn’t need to set up camp in the restricted area. In fact, as the Sky struggle to unlock her scoring, the best solution is to move Cardoso around the court with intention.

It starts with the pick-and-roll, which allows Cardoso to get involved with the play without having the ball in her hands or expending the energy of a post-up. But it also extends to off-ball movement, something that was almost nonexistent in Cardoso’s early weeks, leading to stagnant plays in which she was left ball-watching on the block.

In recent weeks, Cardoso has begun slipping screens for quick cuts to the basket, a simple yet deceptive action that is almost automatic in giving her an unguarded layup. Every time the Sky implement a simple new action to get Cardoso on the move — cross screens, back screens, backdoor cuts, high-low passes from the elbow — it opens the part of her game that is the hardest to guard.

Threading the needle

Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) shoots against the Fever’s Aliyah Boston on June 1, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty)
Getting the ball into the post is difficult. Sure, it’s a little easier when the target is 6-7. But feeding the post requires swift decision-making and precise passing, which the Sky have lacked throughout the season.

The Sky’s weakness in entry passes comes down to two key factors: angles and personnel.

The first is a technical adjustment they still haven’t made. Cardoso often seals her defender on a post-up for looks that appear wide open but are cut off from the angle of the guard in possession of the ball. It’s a timing issue the Sky have struggled with all season, resulting in either a turnover by a guard who forces the ball inside or frustration for Cardoso when the hard work of bodying up her defender doesn’t pay off in a pass.

The second factor only can be solved in the offseason. The Sky don’t have a wealth of options at guard. Carter remains the best guard option for facilitating the pick-and-roll with Cardoso — a relationship she has embraced since the Olympic break, connecting on screens relentlessly over her last five games.

But the rest of the guard unit is more of a wild card. Marina Mabrey was the team’s best-equipped post passer before she was traded to the Connecticut Sun during the Olympic break. Lindsay Allen and Dana Evans have struggled in this area as point guards while Michaela Onyenwere has shown growth as a passer with extended minutes.

Often, fellow bigs such as Angel Reese and Isabelle Harrison ultimately provide the best passing for Cardoso in the paint — a helpful feature of the high-low game but ultimately not a long-term solution for the problem.

Finding that solution via a starting point guard will be the top priority for the Sky front office this winter.

Spacing out

The Sky already might have fixed their biggest issue for the bigs — balancing the paint between Cardoso and fellow rookie Reese.

At the start of the season, the Sky started most plays by loading up the blocks with Reese and Cardoso. Paired with the Sky’s lack of a 3-point threat, opposing teams could pack the paint and use help defense between their bigs to trap and shut down both rookies.

During the Olympic break, Weatherspoon adjusted the offense to utilize more high-low and 4-out looks to create more space around the rim. These looks pull Cardoso or Reese out of the paint — either to the elbow or behind the arc — to stretch the defense.

This spacing has improved offensive production for Reese, who is able to flex her midrange shot more consistently. And it gives Cardoso a better mix of cuts and slips that utilize her speed to get to the rim rather than relying on back-to-basket plays.

Getting mean

Sky forward Angel Reese (5) and center Kamilla Cardoso celebrate a foul called on the Fever on June 23, 2024, at Wintrust Arena. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The final piece of this puzzle is Cardoso.

 

Dominate. That’s the word everyone on the Sky — from the front office to Weatherspoon to Reese — uses to describe the vision for Cardoso in the paint. Despite her height, she moves as quick as a small forward and yet still won’t go through opposing defenders’ chests.

Sure, the Sky struggled to get the ball to Cardoso early in Friday’s win, but even when they did, she was quick to pass back out of the post, leaning too heavily into the inside-out ethos rather than choosing to take her defender one-on-one. The rookie did not finish a single basket through contact against the Sparks.

Cardoso knows she needs to flip this switch. She spent the Olympic break working on finishing through contact with the express goal of taking and making more shots in the restricted area. And she is showing more flashes of ferociousness.

When she does, Reese can hardly contain herself, popping Cardoso in the chest with light punches as she shouts some version of the same compliment — “you’re a dawg.”

“I think it’s just her confidence,” Reese said. “Just being able to go out there and know she’s a killer. I try to put that into her, because she can get mean. I’ve seen her get mean when we played against each other. I don’t know why she’s not always mean. She has that dog mentality, and I want her bringing it out every time we step on the court.”