Sky's Bigger Cornerstone: Angel Reese or Kamilla Cardoso?
Any time a team has the luxury of adding two high caliber players in the same draft, that team should be on pace for greatness. The Chicago Sky benefited from not only having the second overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but they also had another lottery pick that same night.
With two first-round picks, the Sky solved their rebounding woes from the 2023 WNBA season and added a pair of former NCAA champions in Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
For two seasons together, Chicago has failed to return to the WNBA Playoffs with their twin towers. Both will enter their third year for the Sky in 2026. However, only one is poised to take the next step in her game.
The case for Kamilla Cardoso
Arguably, Angel Reese has become the bigger name of the two. Yet, the Sky selected Cardoso several picks ahead of Reese two years ago.
Chicago's starting center won two NCAA Championships with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. She also played at Syracuse University.
Cardoso saw an overall improvement from her rookie season last year. She upped her points, rebounds, and assists per game.
— Kamilla_Cardoso (@Kamillascsilva) April 15, 2024
From the floor and the free-throw line, Cardoso has been consistent. She has made nearly 52% of her shots and 72% of her free throws in both seasons. Unfortunately, Cardoso turned the ball over more in her second season while seeing a slight dip in her steals and blocks totals.
Where Kamilla Cardoso can elevate her game is becoming more of a double-double machine like her teammate Reese. Despite going on a tear this past summer where she recorded 10 double-doubles in a 12-game span, Cardoso failed to score at least 10 points in 25% of the games she played in during the 2025 WNBA season.
The case for Angel Reese
There's no doubt about the ability of "Bayou Barbie" to secure the ball of a missed shot, even if it's her own. However, the Sky learned the hard way that Reese's ball-handling skills leave people wanting more from her.
The former LSU Tigers star coughed up the ball 1.7 more times in 2025. Despite being the league's best rebounder in both of her seasons in the WNBA, Reese has also been one of the most turnover-prone players.
COVERGIRL. @voguemagazine pic.twitter.com/33camXwhtl
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) January 8, 2025
While seeing a 6.7 spike in her points per game from her rookie season, Reese broke and set a new record for most double-doubles in a player's first two seasons in the league. The previous record was held by veteran center and WNBA legend Tina Charles.
For Reese to take the next step, she must learn to maintain possession of the ball and continue to find effective ways to score. She has a lower shooting average and about the same free throw percentage as Cardoso.
Both have a chance to be what the Sky need to return to the WNBA Finals for the first time since their 2021 title. However, Cardoso may make a better teammate and cornerstone piece for the franchise, given the end-of-season drama that went on in Chicago's locker room.
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My name is Scott Conrad and I am a Contributor for the Chicago Sky with Sports Illustrated.com. I am also a Contributor with FanSided on NinerNoise, as well as Da Windy City. In addition, I am the Site Editor/Expert for The View from Avalon. I spent two seasons (2015 & 2016) with the Tampa Bay Times as a Correspondent covering high school football. I am a two-time published author with more work to come. In my teenage years, I started watching both MLS and WNBA start in 1996 and grow to be the juggernauts they are in their respective sports. Much love to the career on and off the court for fellow-Napervillian and former Sky forward Candace Parker. Outside of the sports journalism world, I am a travel volleyball coach. I accepted the Head Coach position with Greater Cincinnati Volleyball Club for their U13-2 team. In terms of active sports, I play volleyball, soccer, softball, kickball and train in mixed martial arts.