With the spotlight predominantly on Sky star Angel Reese, it’s easier for center Kamilla Cardoso to stay in the background. But the Sky are just as dependent upon her developing into a pillar of their future.

They drafted Cardoso third overall last year, and like Reese, she made the All-Rookie team, finishing 12th in the WNBA in rebounds at 7.9 per game and fifth in blocks with 1.4. But she only averaged 9.8 points, meaning she’ll be needed to advance her game offensively.

Between her individual training, a strong season in China with the Shanghai Swordfish and the Sky’s improved personnel supporting her on the perimeter, Cardoso expects to make a leap this season.

“The offseason helped a lot,” she said Monday during media day. “I’m a totally different player. [I’m] just being aggressive and doing whatever I need to do.”

She said she lacked confidence at times last season, but now “I know what I’m capable of doing.”

The makeover of her game could include branching out beyond the paint. As a rookie, Cardoso took 63% of her shots within three feet of the basket and rarely shot from beyond 10. As new coach Tyler Marsh stresses versatility, the coaching staff has been pushing Cardoso to work on her shooting touch in practice.

“We’re going to see different versions of [Cardoso and Reese],” general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “A year has made quite a bit of difference already. Both of their versatility is special, and with more floor spacing, we’re going to see them be able to operate easier.”

Van Lith pushes on

Rookie guard Hailey Van Lith, the No. 11 pick, has been up and down in her first few weeks with the team but has shown flashes of the potential the Sky saw in her.

“She’s proven that she can struggle and still come back and be productive,” Pagliocca said. “Her fearlessness will carry her until she can adjust to our league.”

Van Lith is third in line at point guard behind starter Courtney Vandersloot and Rachel Banham.

Baby on board

Vandersloot and wife Allie Quigley, a long-time Sky guard who was on the 2021 championship team, announced Sunday the birth of their child in April. Vandersloot said parenthood has given her “a whole new purpose” going into her 15th season.

“To be able to play in front of your daughter is a really special feeling,” she said. “I’ll remember it. She definitely won’t.

“But it’s a really special thing for me and Allie. And being home in a Chicago Sky uniform again, in the arena where her other mom won a championship, you can’t write that script.”

Major asset

The Sky envision their $38 million practice facility in Bedford Park to be a game-changer when it opens next season. Pagliocca said it’s on schedule to open before the start of the season and will help tremendously with recruiting free agents.

“Without a practice facility, it is going to continually be difficult for teams to acquire the most critical players in the league,” Pagliocca said. “We want our players’ experience to be paramount. It makes my life easy because when I go into meetings with prospective players and I’m speaking with agents, they understand the investment our ownership is making.”

It’s perfect timing, too. A huge percentage of the WNBA, including most of its biggest stars, hit free agency after this season.

Sivka defers

The Sky drafted Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka with the No. 10 pick, and Pagliocca raved about her versatility. At this point, though, she’s deferring her rookie season to 2026 rather than coming stateside to join the Sky this season.

Pagliocca said the team will retain her rights and remains excited about her potential, with the expectation she’ll report next season.

Second-round pick Aicha Coulibaly, a forward from Texas A&M who went 22nd overall, also has not signed with the Sky for this season.