The Chicago Sky and coach Teresa Weatherspoon have faced criticism with star rookie and No. 3 overall draft pick Kamilla Cardoso struggling to find the floor in the fourth quarter

The Chicago Sky have marched into crunch time over the last three games with a glaring absence in their front court: towering 6-foot-7 center and No. 3 overall draft pick Kamilla Cardoso.

Cardoso played just 20 minutes on Thursday and watched from the sidelines as a clash with defending finalists New York entered the fourth quarter at 63-62, only returning in the final two minutes after the Liberty built an insurmountable lead. Before that, the WNBA rookie was yanked from a one-point game inside the final three minutes last Wednesday, despite a double-double performance, and spent the final 16 minutes in warmup clothes during Sunday’s defeat in Seattle.

Her inconsistent minutes allocation comes against an improved offensive output, totaling 18 points on 64 percent field goal shooting in the last two games, prompting allegations of favoritism toward Angel Reese. Cardoso’s rookie counterpart ranks 22nd among 152 eligible players in total minutes and required 17 shots to continue her WNBA-record double-double streak in Thursday’s game.

That said, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon has been effusively positive toward Cardoso despite spotty playing time — the young center has also raved about her relationship with her boss — believing she will quickly match her lofty expectations.

“She is going to be one that you talk about forever in this league,” Weatherspoon said after Wednesday’s game. “She will be known as one of the best bigs to play this game. You can mark that… She’s easy to coach, and she’s only going to get better.”

The Brazilian international managed to carve out a remarkably dominant role among her star-studded teammates at South Carolina, scoring 14.4 points per game, nearly averaging a double-double and leading the SEC in field goal percentage. She later helped South Carolina cap off a perfect 39-0 season against Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the NCAA championship game, totaling 15 points and 17 rebounds, and was selected third in the WNBA Draft that month.

Cardoso’s professional career faced immediate turbulence, sidelined for the Sky’s first six games with a shoulder injury she sustained in pre-season action. She made her WNBA debut on June 1 in a highly-touted rematch in Clark and her Indiana Fever, but it quickly became clear Cardoso would not find the immediate success of her fellow rookies.

In the 12 games after an impressive debut against Indiana, Cardoso shot just 42 percent from the field on almost exclusively shots at the rim. Paired with her lowly 60 percent free throw percentage, Cardoso has the fifth-lowest true shooting percentage in the league among players averaging at least 25 minutes per game — teammates Reese and Marina Mabrey rank directly below her in this dataset.

While her efficient collegiate offense hasn’t translated to the pro ranks, Cardoso’s value as the rim-protecting anchor on one of NCAA basketball’s best defenses ever contributed just as much to her lofty draft stock. The former Gamecock’s statistical output is certainly there, ranking 12th in blocks per game, but her contribution to winning basketball as a rookie is a work in progress.

Cardoso has featured in 46 percent of Chicago’s total minutes played this season, during which time the Sky have allowed 101.5 points per 100 possessions. This figure drops sharply to 97.5 when Cardoso sits on the bench, and overall the Sky are 2.9 points better off when Cardoso is off the floor. Conversely, Chicago is 20 points better with Angel Reese in action.

So while Cardoso has started each of the last 13 games alongside Reese, currently ranking fourth on the team for minutes in that stretch, the young star perhaps needs a bit more work before securing her place in crunch time.