It’s been nearly every week since Liberty coaching camp started.
The beginning of the WNBA preseason regarded a bit totally different for the defending champion Liberty. The primary distinction: level guard Natasha Cloud is within the constructing.
Cloud, who arrived in New York throughout a whirlwind offseason that featured her in two trades, described herself as a “sponge” that’s confronted with the duties of studying new teammates and schemes earlier than the primary common season recreation on Might 17.
The veteran admitted that the duties are challenges for her regardless of 10 years of expertise. The 33-year-old describes the method as enjoyable, although, and is utilizing the brief coaching camp to get on the identical web page with all of her teammates.
“And then implementing myself in there as well,” mentioned Cloud, who arrived in New York after being traded by the Connecticut Solar in March. She by no means appeared in a recreation for the Solar after the Phoenix Mercury traded her a month prior.
“So I’m going to proceed to check. I simply requested for a playbook right now, as a result of as some extent guard, I like to be thorough. So I don’t wish to solely know what my place is. I wish to know the place everybody’s alleged to be on the board, the nuances of offense, the choices too.
“And once I retain that, I’ll be better handling offense, too. So that’s my main goal right now, is just being able to run our offense with fluidity and knowing it like the back of my hand.”
Even with Cloud on the again finish of her WNBA profession, being in sync along with her new Liberty superteam might put her again amongst the league leaders in assists. She ranked third in assists per recreation (6.9) with the Mercury in 2024 — behind Caitlin Clark (8.4) and Alyssa Thomas (7.9). In 38 begins, she additionally averaged 11.5 factors, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per recreation whereas incomes All-Defensive Second Workforce honors.
Cloud has averaged at the very least six assists per recreation up to now 4 seasons.
“It’s gonna be great,” teammate Sabrina Ionescu mentioned about sharing the ground with Cloud. “Just the ability to play off one another, her ability to get downhill and create. She’s through and through a pass-first point guard.”
After 5 days of coaching camp, Cloud gave herself a B+ grade. The above common rating principally displays her protection.
“Defensively, I’m great,” mentioned Cloud.
It’s her offense that she’s extra crucial about whereas trying to get acclimated.
“If I’m going to be honest, I’m playing a little too fast right now,” Cloud admitted. Cloud’s velocity has made her one of many hardest guards to take care of — on each ends of the ground — within the WNBA. Middle Jonquel Jones described Cloud as one of many quickest gamers within the league and credited the the guard for arriving to coaching camp in “midseason shape.”
However Cloud is her personal hardest critic and expects to enhance her offense in hopes to match her stage of protection.
“All those weapons that we have on offense, we don’t have to rush, we don’t have to do anything,” she mentioned.
“We just have to make simple reads. But that chemistry, learning each other as teammates, that [will all help] that be smoother. But I’m proud of myself for where I am too. I’m always going to be critical of myself more than anyone else, so I really want to learn both of these schemes, defensively and offensively, within like the next week or so. So that’s my challenge.”
Jones added: “I just told her to give herself grace, like she already looks amazing, if anything it’s just more about her learning the plays, learning the space, and learning her teammates’ tendencies.”
Cloud’s expertise enjoying a season with future Corridor of Famer Diana Taurasi will assist getting used to Ionescu — the 2 will seemingly be backcourt starters — and the remainder of the Liberty.
Taurasi and Ionescu are each sharpshooters who power defenses to cowl far more floor on the court docket. For a guard like Cloud who’s able to flattening the open jumper and slash to the rim, there couldn’t have been a significantly better guard to play with after switching groups.
Cloud additionally shared the ground with Ionescu with the Phantom in Unequalled throughout the winter.
“What I beloved about enjoying with DT and Sab is that I get to take just a little little bit of weight off of the shoulders by with the ability to get into the paint, participating too, after which discovering them as they’re transferring and creating straightforward pictures for them.
“So DT also prepared me from a different perspective, how she prepared is very much how everyone here prepares. It’s a very top tier professionalism. Everything is the main thing, keeping basketball the main concern, the main goal, the main focus.”
