Nearly every outlet was certain the Sky would collapse without their post anchor, Kamilla Cardoso. Just 12 hours after their clash with the Sparks, the narrative has flipped entirely. Including that of ESPN’s, which had given L.A. a 62.7% chance to win against Chicago. Can’t blame them, we bought into it too. After all, the Sky’s last win over the Sparks came on the back of Kamilla Cardoso’s career-high 27-point performance, which sealed just their 4th win of the season.
So what was the force that singlehandedly defied every prediction? It came wrapped in an effortless pregame fit with a crop top polo and some baggy pants. Yep, none other than the Bayou Barbie herself, Angel Reese. There’s something else that she did even more effortlessly though. Reese led both teams in all three major categories – 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists. It marked her 50th career appearance, and she made sure it was a grand one. She even became the first WNBA player to record 15+ rebounds in four consecutive games.
Angel Reese seems to be benefitting a lot from the 2 game absence of Kamilla Cardoso, who is currently with the Brazilian national team for the FIBA AmeriCup. Even after Sky’s previous game vs. the Valkyries, she secured 4th position amongst the 15 most-point, 15-rebound games through a player’s first two seasons. Right behind Tina Charles, Yolanda Griffith, and Jonquel Jones, who are all MVPs. And viewers have noticed all that. “Angel, it feels like you’ve been getting more touches in the low post the past couple of games. Can you just talk about capitalizing on those?” asked an interviewer in the postgame presser.
Chicago, USA, September 6, 2024: Angel Reese 5 Chicago Sky and Kamilla Cardoso 10 Chicago Sky speaks with eachother during the game between the Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks on Friday September 6th, 2024 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A1046
Angel didn’t shy away from accepting it as it was and she couldn’t stop smiling while doing it. “Yeah when’s (Kamilla) not here I try to take advantage of it as much as I can,” said Reese without flinching. This statement just showed that she is not here to hide behind the higher picks from her draft class. Instead, she’s chasing spotlight of her own. She has even made it to several lists where you won’t even spot Caitlin Clark. Like she became the fastest player in league history to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds, surpassing Tina Charles. That milestone came in her 38th career game against the Phoenix Mercury.
However, Angel’s response to the interviewer wasn’t out of spite, in fact, she mentioned how much of a contribution Kamilla makes to the roster. “I mean, she’s a great post player, and we let her work where she’s most effective. This offseason, I focused on driving to the basket, getting to the rim, and finishing,” said Angel Reese. She didn’t stop there though, Ange Reese acknowledged the slump that the Sky have undergone this season and her teammates’ faith in her.
“Like I said earlier, I went through a rough stretch during the first eight games where I couldn’t finish. It was frustrating. But I trusted my work, and my teammates did too. Now, I’m finally finishing efficiently, and it’s leading to wins,” said Angel Reese. Hopefully for Chicago, Reese will suit up with the same record shattering energy for their next game against the league leading Minnesota Lynx.
Could Angel Reese turn Cardoso’s temporary absence into a permanent one?
Yep, because Angel Reese is shining in Kamilla Cardoso’s absence. But the noise around a potential trade is only getting louder. Cardoso has temporarily left the Sky to play for Brazil in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, and her departure has raised questions. Especially with Reese dominating in the paint. One analysis noted, “Leaving the LSU alum alone in the paint will allow her to do more of what she excels at, like crashing the glass and scoring close to the rim.”
That makes sense, since Chicago’s frontcourt spacing improves when Reese doesn’t have to share the low post. Meanwhile, Cardoso could reach another level on a team where she’s the clear-cut starting center. Enter: the Indiana Fever. Cory Woodroof of For The Win already proposed the idea. He suggested it in a Yahoo Sports! article that a trade sending Cardoso to Indiana “would solve problems for both teams.”
The Sky used their No. 3 and No. 7 picks in the 2024 Draft on Cardoso and Reese, but their similar skillsets at center haven’t really meshed well. What compounds the issue is that Chicago doesn’t have a single first-round pick in next year’s draft. It’s a tough spot for a rebuilding team to be in. So trading Cardoso for future assets could be a smart move.
Indiana, with six guards on their roster, could offer a backcourt player, a rotational piece, and even a 2026 second-round pick to make the deal work. But despite all the trade buzz, Kamilla Cardoso’s admiration for Angel Reese hasn’t wavered at all. After Reese’s monster game against the Sparks, the Brazilian center hyped her up on Instagram with just four words: “ANGEL M* REESE!!”
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