A few things were clear for the Chicago Sky as the dust settled on the WNBA’s free agency period.
First, the Sky owned a “clean slate,” but also ambiguity regarding the direction of the franchise.
Second, a pivot toward the future would definitely be taking place given the draft capital acquired from the trades
Third, the opportunity to pivot in a manner that engaged and ignited the fans — to generate even more interest in this next phase — would be plentiful given the talents committed to the WNBA Draft.
Nothing is guaranteed in the WNBA Draft, at least not past the slot that teams will be picking in. It’s difficult to structure a plan when things can go so many different directions with teams who pick ahead of you — but to perfectly position yourself for success, study the anticipated moves of those around you, and hit on your desires to this extent, has to be commended.
“Absolutely ecstatic, we got every one of our targets.”
That was the statement Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca used to open the post-draft press conference on Monday night, after the team selected Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and Brynna Maxwell with three of the top 13 selections in the draft.
With that in mind, let’s assess the execution of the Chicago Sky brain trust in their Draft performance.
No. 3 overall pick | Kamilla Cardoso | Center | 6-foot-7 | South Carolina
Cardoso is a two-time National Champion (2022, 2024) who also just won the NCAA Most Outstanding Player Award and was named the D-1 Defense Player of the Year as well. Getting that kind of player with the first available pick in your plan is an excellent and tone-setting type of decision that also stamps a franchise’s identity — immediately.
With Cardoso, the Sky have added a foundational piece to stamp Teresa Weatherspoon’s defensive process with, in the paint. She’s not just 6-foot-7, but also a great athlete at her position which adds some pop to all she’ll be tasked with.
Fortifying the frontcourt and interior defense is important to everything plan-wise that Weatherspoon will have going forward, and bringing Cardoso in to develop, but also have in her present abilities, checks off an abundance of boxes.
At her foundation, Cardoso is a winner with leadership qualities, matched with an IQ and feel for the game that is sure to translate well to the professional level. The defense will come easy for her, and as it stands she’ll have the opportunity to immediately learn from one of the best interior defenders in the league, in Elizabeth Williams.
Her skillset — rim protection/anchoring, rebounding, and post-scoring — all directly address areas of weakness that existed on the Sky prior to the draft.
She can be a hub for offense, whether in the execution of dribble hand-offs and movement sets in delay, having players in movement around her post touches, and making passes off the extra defensive capital spent to stop her looks at the rim.
The inevitable two-way developments to come make for a highly intriguing prospect in projecting forward.
Grade in fit: A+
Grade in context: A+
Grade in opportunity: A+
No. 7 pick | Angel Reese | Forward | 6-foot-3 | LSU
Trading to move up a spot on the eve of the WNBA Draft was something Pagliocca did not anticipate would arise in opportunity, nor did he think the trade would go through.
But he seized the opportunity.
Adding a player the caliber of Angel Reese, who won a National Championship in 2023 as well as 2024 SEC Player of the Year (among many other accolades) makes for back-to-back home runs in my estimation.
“She’s an absolutely relentless competitor,” said Pagliocca in assessing her addition.
Leadership, rebounding, motor, and defensive versatility to guard multiple positions and execute in multiple defensive schemes — with regularity — stand out most as dynamics of Reese’s that will translate to the professional level.
She has a gravity about her that plays in dynamic as a weapon to where she’s able to galvanize her teammates by raising the competitive bar in ways unique to her personality and disposition.
Matched with work ethic and desire, she’s sure to become a piece the Sky will further stamp the identity Weatherspoon plans to tout as synonymous with the city of Chicago.
Concerns about her offense have been spoken on plenty, however, she is an athlete in space who can get up and down the floor as well as any power forward in the league, and an uptempo style of play — one that’s likely to start with and stem from a chaos-inducing style of play defensively — would play right to the strengths of her archetype.
Long-term assessments in projecting forward are adding a more reliable short-pop jumper in the midrange, and then progressing towards three-point range is where she can optimize the partnership with Cardoso in the frontcourt.
Grade in fit: B
Grade in context: A+
Grade in opportunity: A
No. 13 pick | Brynna Maxwell | Guard | 6-foot-0 | Gonzaga
Maxwell is a bonafide sharpshooter. A deadeye. A sniper, armed with a quick release and a handle that’s good enough to function as a complement to the style of closeouts she garners.
Going heavy frontcourt with the two top-end picks, it was smart to draft a shooter with their underrated yet highly valued 13th pick.
Maxwell brings a unique pace and cadence of play, that will work greatly in fit, context, and opportunity, with the Chicago Sky.
She’s stealth-like with her movement patterns and is extremely fluid transitioning from full sprint to jump shot, in a balanced and under control manner.
In today’s era of spacing and shooting, she provides versatility in shooting efficiently and on volume also off of high-speed movement.
Adding an efficient moving target to further-nuance the attack of their offense, one who can be used as a chess piece both a pass away from action as well as on the second side, diversifies their process greatly.
Maxwell also has some ability to initiate two-man actions, whether pick-and-roll roll, dynamic handoff scenarios, or the give-and-go.
Additionally, as a screener, she unlocks positive unpredictability in process, that’ll greatly aid the Sky’s read and react layer of offense.
She understands spacing, leverage, and how to create advantages at a high level, all with a motor offensively that will allow her to fit into numerous lineup renditions.
Underrated in her finesse-driven archetype is her ability to deck it, get downhill with a live dribb, and navigate to the free throw line.
Again, as a movement shooter, she tilts defenses and creates chaos, setting advantages.
She finished 70th percentile or better in total attempts, and 84th percentile or better in attempts per game from the free throw line in each of her final three seasons — converting a high-level clip from there as well.
Gonzaga’s offense when she was on the floor the last two seasons had rating north of 130.0, which is astronomical.
She had 21 games in her senior year where she knocked down 4+ from deep, including 7 at 5+.
Grade in fit: A+
Grade in context: A+
Grade in opportunity: A+
Weatherspoon noted in regards to their potential this season: “We have everything we need, we have everything we need.”
The Chicago Sky did as well as they possibly could with each of the three picks above.
Whether it equates to immediate success in regards to wins and losses remains to be seenas they have a process they’ll have to endure.
What’s undeniable in their present state is that they’ve compiled a roster that will never lack in the positive intangibles that align with an environment conducive to a winning culture.
It’s one that is kindred to the disposition of their fiery head coach, and now the work begins.
Expect likely the most competitive training camp across the entire W to come from this Chicago Sky group, one that will likely catapult and springboard them forward in the process of this foundational season.
A new era is upon us.
