Don’t look now, but Sky center Kamilla Cardoso has put up All-Star numbers in recent weeks.
Consistency has been the nagging question with Cardoso, who has always been able to dominate in flashes. Lately, though, this is starting to look more like a sustained jump.
After setting a WNBA record Friday for most field goals without a miss, Cardoso followed it with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting Sunday against the Aces.
Not too shabby against A’ja Wilson, the reigning Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
“Kamilla’s footwork is one of the best ever,” Wilson said. “It [reminds me] of Sylvia Fowles, the way that she can be light on her feet, the way that she can position herself in traffic. Seeing her growth from rookie year to now, it’s been fun.”
Zoom out a little more, and a real trend is emerging. Over her last five games, Cardoso is averaging 21.8 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 75% from the field.
Those numbers come with caveats. Cardoso shoots mostly layups, so her efficiency isn’t weighed down by perimeter shots. But it is also true that she is increasingly finishing through tougher angles, on the move and over multiple defenders.
It has looked like All-Star caliber play and a major step forward for Cardoso, whose field-goal percentage hovered closer to 50% during her first two seasons with the Sky. Cardoso always credits her coaches and teammates for putting her in the right spots, along with the extra work she has put in to clean up the details.
Coach Tyler Marsh also thinks part of this recent stretch comes down to composure.
“I feel that she’s done a really good job of not getting frustrated when things aren’t going the way that she wants them to go,” Marsh said. “Whether it’s coming down and not touching it enough, or getting fouled and the call not going her way, or her man scoring — anything that happens over the flow of the game. I think in this last week or two, she’s been really conscious of not letting that affect her in other areas of the game, which has allowed her to be more engaged and more present.
“When she’s playing at the level that she’s been playing at, she’s one of the best bigs in the league. She does things a lot of other post players can’t do. She’s doing it more consistently now.”
That consistency is the key.
Cardoso has had two gears this season: a high one, where she looks pretty much unstoppable, and a lower one, where she is productive but not quite a game-changer.
The last five games have been her best stretch of keeping it in high gear, or at least close to it.
It also reflects a renewed effort by the Sky to keep Cardoso involved consistently, which had been an issue earlier in the season. Players are clearly bought in on what that can do for their offense.
“She just creates so much of an advantage for us against other teams,” Azura Stevens said. “It makes all of our jobs easier when she’s being aggressive. When they send doubles, they have to give attention to her down there and it opens up wide open shots for us, cuts all around the perimeter.”
The impact is showing. The Sky have averaged 108 points over their last three games.
Stevens finally finding her stroke has helped, too. After a rough stretch from three-point range, she is 6-for-12.
The problem in Sunday’s eight-point loss to the Aces was not the frontcourt.
The Aces’ guards overwhelmed the Sky early, with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young having their way. Skylar Diggins, Gabriela Jaquez and Natasha Cloud did not give the Sky enough back on the other end.
Marsh put much of the loss on the Sky’s defense, specifically their inability to pick up the Aces early enough.
“Once you let Jackie get a downhill head of steam, it’s tough to stop,” Marsh said.
The loss dropped the Sky to 6-13, with almost a week to prepare for an Aces rematch. But the larger development should comfort them: Cardoso is starting to look like the cornerstone they were hoping for.