RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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In a Sky season that has made everyone want to pull their hair out, two underdogs have helped redeem it: Sydney Taylor and Natasha Cloud.
The friendship began, as many great ones do, because their lockers are next to each other. They got to talking about fashion first — noticing each other's style, asking where certain pieces came from.
They share some New York-ness in their swagger. Taylor grew up on Long Island, and Cloud delighted in her stint with the Liberty last season.
Both have approached this season with a chip on their shoulder.
Cloud, 34, didn't get picked up by the Sky until May — after New York didn't ask her back and initial offers didn't come in, she doubted whether she'd play in the W at all. Taylor, 23, went undrafted and played overseas for two seasons, still believing she'd make it to the league.
Now they're proving the naysayers wrong. Taylor is the team's leading scorer and a lock for the All-Rookie team. Cloud's game shows few signs of aging, as her stat line is nearly identical to last season's.
Cloud said her favorite thing about Taylor's game is the effortlessness. Her movements have a fluidity reminiscent of the 2025 Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, but with a Mamba mentality all her own.
To show it, Cloud reenacted the three-pointer Taylor hit over A'ja Wilson in the Sky's win over Las Vegas last week.
"As a rookie, for you to have that in your bag, but to do that against the Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Star, all these things?” Cloud said. “Cold.”
The pair are thriving in a season of adversity. The Sky lost leading scorer Rickea Jackson four games in, and it took some wandering in the desert before they figured out how to succeed without her. Because of the hole they dug themselves, the playoffs are now a long shot.
But, as coach Tyler Marsh likes to say, they're playing good basketball now — 3-1 out of the All-Star break, with a top-five net rating over the last 15 games. Cloud calls them a sleeper team.
"Whether people want to admit it or not, they don't want to face us," Cloud said.
There's probably some truth to it. They stunned the defending champion Aces last week and have a chance to spoil things for the playoff-bound Fever at the United Center on Saturday. They'll have to do it without Taylor, who's out with a groin injury.
After practice Friday, with Taylor lingering to shoot, Cloud reminded anyone within earshot how much Taylor loves her, pointing at their matching purple shoes for proof. There's truth to that, too. Taylor really does look up to Cloud.
Cloud, a two-time All-Defense selection, often pulls Taylor aside with defensive pointers — she sees Taylor's quickness and strength and coaches her on how to weaponize them.
"Just giving her minute tendencies that I do, that I think she can also implement into her game, that create just a little bit of advantage," Cloud said. "She's such a great offensive player. I won't allow her to box herself into one. You're a two-way player."
Asked if she's learned anything from her mentee, Cloud laughed and called back to Taylor’s game-winner against Vegas. Cloud wanted to celebrate; Taylor had to remind her there was still 0.9 seconds of defense to be played.
The real answer, though, is that Taylor's breakout has Cloud reaching deeper into her own bag. And Taylor's feedback has given Cloud confidence as a leader.
"You always think like, I hope I'm giving to the team in the best way that I can," Cloud said, "but you never know if that's actually happening."
The doubt is natural. The Sky's record — 12-19 — and the number of games they've blown mean that, come September, there will be plenty of soul-searching for everyone to do. But it's not a lost season. One that has spawned the Cloud-Taylor connection can't be.
Note: Forward Azura Stevens returned to practice on Friday after missing four games for personal reasons. She didn’t comment on her absence other than saying it was “just personal stuff I was dealing with.” Marsh expects her ramp-up to be quick.
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