Column: The Chicago Sky started a rebuild, and found a basketball identity in the 2024 WNBA Draft

CHICAGO, Ill. - Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso spent years going up against each other.

Cardoso played for Hamilton Heights Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Reese played for St. Francis High School in Baltimore. They played on March 31, 2017, and Cardoso won round one 56-55.

The two would play three times in college. Cardoso won rounds two, three and four. The results do not matter in the WNBA. The familiarity does.

Now, they will play with each other. The Chicago Sky drafted both in the first round of the 2024 WNBA Draft. In doing so, the Sky drafted the identity of their rebuild.

"Being able to be teammates is going to be amazing," Reese said. "I actually talked to her earlier, I was congratulating her. I know she just came off an amazing run, an amazing college career. So I'm looking forward to playing with her in practice and then in games just bouncing off of each other. So I'm excited for this."

There was not much commitment to the bit from Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon before this. 

She would not say the Sky were rebuilding. Not after they traded Kahleah Copper for draft capital. Not after they lost plenty of depth and starting players. Not after they acquired a second first-round pick via trade.

"I’m definitely not using rebuild," Weatherspoon said in February. "That’s not what we’re doing."

The re-shape/tool/structure was on at that point. On Monday, the Sky's three selections shifted what avenue the team will take to shape the future.

Cardoso and Reese, two of college basketball's most recognizable names from this past college basketball season and two of the best post players available in this draft, are coming to Chicago to usher in the start of the new era.

That new era is built in the post. It's built on defense. It's built on winning the rebounding battles.

"Nobody's going to get no rebounds on us," Cardoso said.

They want to make it hard for teams to score and they're going to be physical.

"You want to always put pieces in areas that's needed to be stronger," Weatherspoon said. "We've put the together the pieces that we wanted and we thought was necessary for our organization and for our team to grow."

Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said each of the Sky's three picks were the players they were targeting from the start.

They wanted Cardoso, and were able to get her at No. 3 overall because of the Copper trade. They wanted Reese, and traded up one spot to get her at No. 7 overall. They wanted Maxwell, and were able to get her with the No. 13 overall pick acquired in the trade that brought Marina Mabrey to Chicago.

The headliners are Cardoso and Reese, players that WNBA teams usually acquire one of in a draft cycle. The Sky chose both.

On their own, Reese and Cardoso demand attention. The two together promise to be a dominant duo; as part of the team, they'll serve as an example of what leadership wants to instill.

The Sky could have invested in the future of the point guard position if they wanted. They choose to fortify the post based on their desire for a competitive spirit.

"They freaking want to win. So at all costs, they're going to do what they have to do," Weatherspoon said Monday. "When they come together and they're playing together, they're teammates. They're going to fight for each other."

The Sky made moves this offseason in signing Diamond DeShields and trading for Brianna Turner with Marina Mabrey already in the rotation.

Picking Reese and Cardoso means the team should be going through the post. Add in Elizabeth Williams, and the Sky can control the glass and protect the rim.

There will be growing pains, Cardoso and Reese are both going to be rookies after all, but if they can grow quickly they'll have a chance to be a successful defensive-minded team.

"I'm all about energy," Cardoso said. "(Angel Reese) has a great energy. He has a great energy. I'm just excited to get there and get to work with them."

It isn't just Reese and Cardoso, either. Drafting Maxwell to pair with Mabrey on the perimeter gives the Sky the shooting that should make defenses respect the perimeter.

The Sky can't be one dimensional, and now they have the pieces that should make them multidimensional. What brings it all together is a competitive drive, something Reese and Cardoso have. See: their national championships.

"You don't want players that are going to compete against each other and take it easy," Pagliocca said. "They want to be pros, they'll figure it out real quick. We put 'em in the same jersey. That life is good again. They're excited to play with each other. They're excited to play in Chicago for Coach Spoon. And that's all we need to know."

That's all the Sky needed to see to make them a team with a physical, towering and imposing identity.

What's next, then? Well, both Reese and Cardoso wore No. 10 in college. Who gets No. 10 in the WNBA?

It'll comes down to, what else, a competition. That's something the coaching staff won't oversee.

But they'll encourage it. It's the team's new identity.

"We'll let them do it," Weatherspoon said.