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Chicago Sky Player Earns Praise After Connecticut Sun Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 1:36 AM ET

The Chicago Sky were hoping to take a step toward becoming competitive this season. But Angel Reese's back injury has been one of a number of issues that have held them back so far this year.

Reese continues to sit out due to a back injury, and there is still reportedly no timetable for her return. The Sky once again had to go to war without the star forward on Wednesday when they faced the Connecticut Sun.

The Sun won, 71-62, as Chicago shot 38.7% from the field and committed 21 total turnovers. But one player shone brightly for Chicago.

Kamilla Cardoso tried to pick up the slack

Cardoso, a second-year center out of South Carolina, isn't quite a star, and she may not be the same type of offensive threat or beast on the boards that Reese is. On the season, she's averaging 12.8 points on 51.9% field-goal shooting and 8.4 rebounds a game, while Reese is at 14.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.

But on Wednesday, Cardoso tried to put the Sky on her back.

She scored a game-high 24 points, which was twice the point total of the team's second-leading scorer, and she also grabbed nine rebounds and chipped in three assists.

Coach Tyler Marsh praised her play and leadership after the game.

"Kamilla was great," Marsh said. "Her energy was great. Her assertiveness was great. She was locked in during timeouts. She was there for her teammates the whole game."

Marsh on Cardoso: "Kamilla was great. Her energy was great. Her assertiveness was great. She was locked in during timeouts. She was there for her teammates the whole game."
— Karli Bell (@KarliBell33) August 14, 2025

Chicago fell behind by 21 points in the third quarter, and while it tried to mount a rally by scoring the first 11 points of the fourth quarter, it just didn't have enough juice to successfully complete a comeback.

The team now has an 8-24 record, which is the WNBA's second-worst record. Only the Sun, who are 6-26, have a worse record.

Do the Sky have anything left to play for?

With roughly a month to go in the regular season, the Sky haven't officially been eliminated from playoff contention. But for all intents and purposes, they have no shot at reaching the postseason later this summer.

However, they cannot simply tank and get the top pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. That is because they traded their 2026 first-rounder to the Minnesota Lynx in order to take Hailey Van Lith with the No. 11 pick this year.

This situation means that Chicago will have nothing to gain by shutting down Reese for the rest of this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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