Quick Three: Lynx 79 Sky 74
Williams & Minnesota claim the season series as Chicago, again, are in jeopardy of being caught by Atlanta in the race for final playoff spot.
While the Sky showed some great determination to claw back into the game in today’s fourth quarter, there was also a lot of common threads from Chicago’s recent games (and the previous loss to Minnesota) in the way the action played out. Early turnovers undermined moments of good play at both ends (the Lynx had 15 points off of 10 turnovers in the first half), a long-stretch with limited offensive output in the fourth gave them an uphill climb in the final minutes, and the hot-and-cold roles for bench players produced mixed results. Instead of diving back into all of those points again (some of the narratives are a bit tired), let’s hone in on three Sky players that stood out to me for one reason or another.
1. Michaela Onyenwere
Onyenwere’s second half-surge continues as she’s now averaging 9.6 points in 10 games as a starter this season, and 10.4 PPG since the Olympic break. And while those numbers indicate that her strong play is not a new trend from today’s loss, it’s the variety of scoring that we saw from Onyenwere which was, perhaps, more impressive than in any game she’s had this season. After doing a lot of damage from three or via attacking the closeouts that come when she’s posted in the corners, her drives towards the basket today were far more of the “first-offensive option” variety. Instead of taking one player off the dribble and trying to score with a relatively open lane, Onyenwere—by virtue of Carter’s continued absence and Chicago’s limited offensive options—faced a lot more traffic on her way to the basket with the Minnesota defense treating her like the first option that she’s quickly become over the last few games. Even with the extra attention and traffic inside, Onyenwere still found ways to finish.
Whether that be via soft floated shots from the gaps between the perimeter and the Lynx’s rim protectors or by taking on the contact and finishing anyways, the message was extremely clear—Onyenwere is a scorer. It was evident overseas in Turkey last winter when she averaged 17.9 PPG on 53% shooting, but it’s never guaranteed that those performances translate to the W where the overall level of competition is considerably higher. But with a consistent role finally afforded to her by Chicago’s coaching staff, we’re now seeing all the different things she can do with the ball—hitting shots spot up in the mid-range and from three, posting up inside when she gets a mismatch or working off the dribble to bend (and at least try to break) the opposing defense. Whether Carter returns on Tuesday in Las Vegas or not, the Sky have clearly uncovered an offensive weapon that is deserving of more touches, and the next step is understanding how best to fit the two players together in the offense. Thanks to her solid shooting from long-range (37%); there’s no reason why Onyenwere shouldn’t be able to complement what Carter does both in the final 8 games and moving forward into 2025.
2. Kamilla Cardoso
While a big takeaway from today’s game was yet another strong game from Cardoso (22 pts, 9 rebounds, 8/8 FT), it was also a great example of how this Chicago team simply has not mastered exploiting their rookie center’s skills yet. It started in the first half when, after Myisha Hines-Allen (6’1”) checked in, the Sky ran a number of offensive sets in a row that saw Cardoso catching the ball at the top of the arc and trying to dictate the offense. While that’s nothing new and Chicago has had some recent success with her passing from those spots, there’s no reason to have a 6’7” center if you’re not going to exploit the edge that type of player will give you against small defenders. A number of possessions later, Cardoso finally posted up and Hines-Allen was forced into committing her first foul as soon as the Brazilian got the ball and moved to score. With Alanna Smith missing, the Sky were dealt a favorable hand inside, and it was startling to see Cardoso catching the ball 25 feet from the basket as soon as Dorka Juhász sat and the true impact of the Aussie’s absence was ready to be felt.
To their credit, the Sky’s coaching staff course corrected from that point forward with Cardoso working more exclusively out of the post, but that only exposed a different, on court, issue with the Sky’s usage of Cardoso. Simply put, there is not enough precision with the Sky’s entry passes—especially when those are headed towards Cardoso. It’s almost as if, because of her size, those feeding the ball in from the perimeter are looser with their delivery—expecting her sheer size and physicality to compensate for the lack of placement. And sometimes, they’re right. Cardoso is not just tall—she’s athletic—and she uses those physical tools to go up and get balls that would go straight into the first row if intended for any other player.
Thus, the problem isn’t the ability of Cardoso to get the ball in those scenarios (though some of the passes were so wild she couldn’t catch them at all); it’s the positions those inaccurate passes put her in when it comes to trying to score after the catch. If Cardoso has her defender sealed and the pass in is on target, all she has to do is turn and go up with the ball. If the pass forces her wide or to the baseline, the angle will be less favorable, and it’s unlikely she can go right up for a shot. If the opponent is sending doubles, the extra dribble she has to take to go back towards the basket is plenty of time for another player to arrive, and there’s a definite impact on her efficiency when the defender(s) have an extra second to adjust their position. Some issue with timing and touch on these entry passes is expected and will improve with time, but there’s also clear scenarios where the ball just clearly should not go in the post but the pass is forced in. That type of decision making is something that needs to improve more quickly and, when it does, we should see even more good things from Cardoso.
3. Moriah Jefferson
Jefferson, by no means, had a huge impact on today’s game. She missed her only shot (a questionable, at best, long three) and finished with just 1 assist in the box score, but I still came away impressed with the flashes we saw of her today (7:28)—a trend that’s been consistent since she arrived in Chicago. Most impressive is her ability to work in the small pockets in the opposing defense inside the paint. Because the Sky are so reliant on their inside scoring, it’s no secret that opposing defenses keep a lot of numbers inside, and Jefferson’s size and handling ability allows her to go into those areas and work her way back out with her dribble or by offloading a pass to a teammate. Unfortunately, the best types of looks that those pass outs from a crowded paint create are usually threes and we know that’s not the Sky's area of expertise (2/9 tonight). Yet, with plans to restructure the roster in the offseason and Jefferson under contract for another season, I think there’s a world where those skills in the tight areas are really valuable in a year’s time. With more time to build up to full fitness after her injury and Dana Evans (another small guard who complicates Jefferson’s chances to get on court) more than likely leaving in free agency, there could be a role for Jefferson next season. What we’ve seen so far in Chicago isn’t a big enough sample to say much with any conclusivity (and we likely won’t before the end of the season as her role will likely remain stop-start), but it’s definitely one to put a pin in until Jeff Pagliocca and the Sky front office go about constructing their 2025 roster.