Tonight’s Sky vs Sparks game will be the last that Kamilla Cardoso plays before fulfilling national team duties with Brazil at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
Her absence (while temporary) creates a valuable window for the Sky to experiment. Ariel Atkins, Angel Reese, and Cardoso have formed a reliable core when on the floor together. With Cardoso gone, the question becomes: who fits best around that core when she returns?
This stretch is a chance to stress-test options and build cohesion around players like Michaela Onyenwere, who’s quietly become the fourth piece of that core. She defends, rebounds, and doesn’t require the ball to make an impact. Her athleticism and ability to guard multiple positions give the Sky flexibility they badly need.
That leaves Tyler Marsh with a critical decision: Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, or Hailey Van Lith as the fifth starter.
Below I dive into the data and discuss what lineups might help the Sky find some stability during this stretch and what could carry over when Cardoso returns.
The athletic and versatile trio of Atkins, Reese, and Cardoso anchor many of the Sky’s lineups, and we can imagine that this fits the vision Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca imagined.
Atkins and Reese offer versatility on both ends as secondary initiators and switchable defenders. Atkins ranks 5th in the WNBA in steals per game (1.9), and Reese ranks 10th (1.6) while also leading the league in offensive rebounds (4.0 per game). These two are anchored by the interior scoring, rim protection, rim running, and often overlooked passing of Cardoso, who is shooting 54.7% from the field (3rd in the WNBA) and averaging 1.6 assists per game.
With the core three established, the next question becomes: who plays best alongside them?
Michaela Onyenwere has quietly emerged as a core rotation player. Her value doesn’t come from volume scoring or flashy box scores, but from doing the small things like defending multiple positions, rebounding, and making herself available without needing plays run for her. She’s been the connective piece in many of the team’s better lineups.
When the trio of Atkins, Reese, and Cardoso is paired with Onyenwere and Van Lith, the lineup posts a +19.2 NetRtg in 14 minutes. Swapping in Banham for HVL raises that to +22.5 NetRtg in 13 minutes. When that same core is surrounded by Allen and Nurse, the group drops to –28.0 across 37 minutes. These are small sample sizes, but the drop-off is hard to ignore.
The four-player lineups support this as well. When Onyenwere joins Elizabeth Williams, Banham, and HVL, the group sits at –5.1 NetRtg across 40 minutes. It’s not necessarily a good number, but it is better than most other combinations. Quartets built around Allen or Nurse struggle to generate efficient offense.
It’s becoming harder to imagine the best version of the Sky’s starting five without Onyenwere in it. She makes lineups more athletic, more cohesive, and more versatile.
If Marsh adds Onyenwere to the starting group, the final question becomes: who fits best alongside her, Cardoso, Reese, and Atkins?
As previously mentioned, when Banham and HVL are paired with Onyenwere, each have anchored one of the Sky’s most productive lineups. Both guards add more structure and tempo to the offense, especially when Onyenwere is on the floor doing the dirty work and defending across positions.
Allen’s fit is trickier. When she joins Reese, Atkins, Banham, and Williams, the group posts a –0.3 NetRtg across 20 minutes which is not dominant, but better than most Sky 5 player lineups. When paired with Cardoso instead of Williams, however, the numbers are worse. As previously noted, the Allen–Atkins–Nurse–Cardoso–Reese lineup has a –28.0 NetRtg in 37 minutes and struggles defensively (118.3 DefRtg). However, when Banham replaces Kia Nurse, that group improves to a –11.6 NetRtg in 25 minutes.
The difference in lineup effectiveness points to a clear trend: Allen thrives with more structure around her. She’s most effective when surrounded by multiple ball handlers like Banham with Atkins and a mobile big who can cover space and rebound. The Sky need her size, length, and spacing, but she can’t be expected to help organize the offense.
With Cardoso out, the Sky should consider starting the Allen–Williams–Banham–Atkins–Reese lineup. That combination has shown signs of being productive, and Onyenwere could be shifted to the four to start instead with Williams coming off the bench as the backup five. Either approach keeps the Sky balanced on both ends while avoiding the lowest-performing lineups seen so far.
So how can the Sky use Cardoso’s absence to test what really works?
The Sky must lean into lineups that establish the team’s identity. That starts with trusting Onyenwere more. It likely means giving more minutes to Banham or HVL. Also, it means avoiding lineups without any shot creators.
This stretch is a chance to lock in combinations that can carry over when Cardoso returns. What the Sky learn now could help them start building something sustainable.
Who should start while Cardoso is at the AmeriCup and who should keep that spot when she’s back? Let’s talk in the comments.