The Chicago Sky do not even take the court for their first WNBA regular season game until Wednesday, May 15, but they are already having to deal with potentially devasting injury concerns. The anticipation of the dynamic rookie duo will have to be put on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday that 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft out of the University of South Carolina, will be on the shelf four to six weeks after sustaining a shoulder injury during a preseason game against the Minnesota Lynx.
Cardoso is a proven winner and is coming off an undefeated, national championship run with the South Carolina Gamecocks, where she won Final Four Most Outstanding Player in capturing her second national title in three seasons.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo add insult to injury, Brynna Maxwell, who was the first pick of the second round of the same draft, will be sidelined three to four weeks because of a knee injury.
This is quite the blow for the Sky, who seemed to be starting a new era during the draft when they selected Cardoso and LSU’s Angel Reese (No. 7 overall) in the top seven picks.
They were two of the most notable and popular names in all of college basketball last season and featured players for the last two national champions. They also gave Chicago a one-two punch of bigs to build around this season and beyond.
Maxwell was likely taken in the second round with the Cardoso and Reese combination in mind since the Sky will need to space the floor around the two bigs. She shot an incredible 44 percent from distance during her final season at Gonzaga and will not get the opportunity to show off her outside skills at the WNBA level for weeks following this setback.
The Sky needed a retooling after going four games below .500, 18-22 and losing in the first round of the playoffs in 2023. It was a far cry from its 2021 championship team, and many of the stars from that edition of the team were no longer on the roster.
With Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot no longer on the Sky, Kahleah Copper was pressed to carry the majority of the offensive load last year. However, the front office dealt Copper this offseason, leaving even more of a gaping hole in star power.
Reese and Cardoso were expected to provide that immediate jolt of energy and star power, but the latter will not be on the floor now for the start of her rookie campaign.
That will put even more of the pressure on Reese when the Sky take the floor for their May 15 opener against the Dallas Wings.
