3 reasons why Angel Reese's fame is hindering Kamilla Cardoso's progress

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso created a mini rivalry during their time in college. After going at each other while representing LSU and USC, they were drafted by the Chicago Sky for their professional careers.

Reese is having a notable season, setting the new record for the most double-doubles for a rookie (23), the most consecutive double-doubles in a single WNBA season (15) and became the first rookie since Shaquille O'Neal in 1993 to record back-to-back 20+ rebound games.

Despite her superstar potential, Kamilla Cardoso hasn't been given the same attention by the media, fans and some would argue, by the Sky's coaching staff.

Here are three reasons why Angel Reese's fame is hurting Kamilla Cardoso's progress.

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3 reasons why Angel Reese's fame is affecting Kamila Cardoso

#3, Angel Reese is getting more touches despite Kamilla Cardoso being the more effective scorer

It's well-known that Kamilla Cardoso had to wait before making her WNBA debut. Still, the difference in field goal attempts this season compared to Reese's is interesting. The Brazilian center has attempted 185 field goals and made 94 (50.8%) while Reese has more than doubled her field goal attempts (376) but only made 146 (38.6%). Both players play near the rim but only one is getting fed consistently inside the paint.

Cardoso is shooting 53.9% from less than five feet while Reese shoots exactly 10% less from the same distance.

#2, Kamilla Cardoso can't showcase her floor game

Angel Reese is the better rebounder in comparison to Cardoso. However, Cardoso has shown a better floor game with her handles and court vision. Although she's not the best playmaker in the league, Cardoso has almost the same assists per game (1.7) as Reese (1.8) despite playing 5.4 fewer minutes.

Still, when it comes to usage, the 2023 NCAA champion boasts a 20.9 usage percentage, 5.7 percentage points higher than Cardoso (15.2%).

#1, Kamilla Cardoso has been taken out to facilitate Angel Reese gets a double-double

This may be the most controversial point on this list but plenty of fans watched it on Friday night when Teresa Weatherspoon cleared the bench and left Angel Reese on the floor while Kamilla Cardoso was subbed out.

This has been a common practice for the Sky all season long as Reese has become a double-double machine. Then again, some of those double-doubles have been completed in the final seconds of games, even at times when the Sky are getting blown out or when they're dominating their opponents.

While it's true that Cardoso played a big chunk of the third quarter against the Indiana Fever after Reese got in foul trouble, that is not common especially when compared to Resse's treatment when she's close to getting a double-double.