It’s a bit mind-bending to consider, but center Kamilla Cardoso is one of the Sky’s elder statesmen.
Not in age of course — she’s still only 25, her brain having just arrived at full development — but in consecutive tenure.
Cardoso was drafted No. 3 in 2024, the Sky’s first lottery pick in many years, and is one of only two remaining players from that team. The roster, coaching staff and even practice locations all have turned over.
This season was her third, often an inflection point for young players. For Cardoso, people predicted it would go one of two ways: She would become an All-Star and dominate, the way she did her in senior year at South Carolina, or she would regress and reveal that the Sky were way too high on her with the third pick.
Cardoso didn’t exactly vindicate either view. Her statistics ticked up to a dependable 14.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, but she didn’t patch up some basic aspects to her game other top centers have.
Is another leap still possible for Cardoso in Year 4, or have we seen what she is: a very good, but not quite All-Star level, center?
Coach Tyler Marsh is the king of reminding everyone that growth isn’t a linear process, which is reason to hold out hope. But part of the question is whether Marsh has the ability to guide Cardoso through it.
In her exit interview last week, Cardoso acknowledged her defense ‘‘wasn’t great’’ this season and needs to get better.
She has a couple of things to fix on that side of the ball. One is keeping a lower center of gravity in the post, so she’s not caught out of position. The other is keeping her hands straight up when she contests shots, so that she doesn’t foul.
It’s a little concerning that Marsh and his staff have allowed these habits to persist this long, especially given that Cardoso is the Sky’s best hope at rim protection and these are pretty basic skills.
Offensively, however, Cardoso has to own some of the holes in her game. Despite her solid shooting form and the coaching staff encouraging her to let it fly, she took only 10 jump shots this season. That’s even fewer than she took last season.
‘‘People have high expectations for me,’’ Cardoso said in her exit interview. ‘‘They know I’m capable of shooting the ball, so shooting the ball on the perimeter [is an offseason goal].’’
This offseason, Cardoso will head to Project B, a new 5-on-5 touring league that has so far announced stops in Valencia, Spain, and Tokyo. The league appealed to Cardoso because of the ability to travel, which she enjoys, and to play against elite competition.
In the WBCA Chinese league, in which she played the last two offseasons, Cardoso dominated against a lower field of competition. This time around, she’ll be able to compete against two of the WNBA’s best centers in Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones. Both have the kind of footwork, finesse and physicality that Cardoso is aiming toward.
In his own exit interview, Marsh sounded pleased that Cardoso is going to stay in Chicago to train until Project B starts, giving him some hands-on time with her.
To that end, it would be nice if the Sky met their deadline for their new practice facility before Cardoso heads abroad in January. Management’s most recent projection was November, but if the Bedford Park project gets delayed again, it might mean another round of workouts in college gyms for Cardoso.
It’s also possible she will find herself working out with another round of coaches. The Sky still haven’t indicated whether they’re bringing Marsh back for a third season.
Given all the surrounding unsteadiness, Cardoso earned some credit for the player she already has become, regardless of whether the Year 4 leap materializes.
She might be the most stable thing the Sky have going for them.