Call her ‘energizer bunny’ or ‘team papi,’ Sky stumbles into redemption

Natasha Cloud laughed off questions about being the Sky’s “engine,” offering playful alternatives while acknowledging the team has been uneven. After engine-like performances flip into foul trouble and turnovers in recent losses, Cloud says the Sky have taken

Natasha Cloud answered the “engine” question with a quick interruption.

“I don’t want no smoke, AT. That’s your s—. ” she said. laughing. when asked about being the Chicago Sky’s engine after an 18-point performance against the Dream. She made it clear she wasn’t trying to take the nickname “The Engine” from her old teammate Alyssa Thomas. a six-time All-Star who earned it during her 2019 All-Star campaign for dictating how her team plays.

Then Cloud offered alternatives. “energizer bunny” and “papi of the team,” she said—words that sounded playful, but landed against a backdrop of something the Sky couldn’t afford to treat lightly: inconsistency.

Ask any Sky player about the team’s veteran leadership and defensive identity—assets that define them when everything is clicking—and Cloud’s name is the first out of their mouth. When she’s humming, the Sky can beat the Lynx on the road and go toe-to-toe with the Dream. When she’s sputtering, they stall out completely.

Last week, they got a glimpse of what that can cost. Against the Tempo, Cloud went 2-for-7 and turned the ball over three times. Against the Mystics a few nights earlier, she ran into early foul trouble, went 0-for-4, and committed four turnovers. The Sky lost both games.

Cloud is not the only one who’s struggled lately. After the Tempo loss, point guard Skylar Diggins issued a postgame callout, saying the team needed more effort, maturity and leadership across the board. The Sky had dropped six of their last seven.

Cloud said the message landed. It lit a fire under the team heading into the Dream game, and they sacrificed what was supposed to be an off day—watching film and walking through their game plan. They all took a hard look in the mirror.

“From top to bottom, from GM to coaching staff to players, we all had to have some accountability in our own homes first,” Cloud said. “But the mindset is: We’re not going on our own islands. We’re going to get through this storm together.”

For Cloud, the accountability came with a specific change in how she shows up. As a leader, she said she has to be a stronger, more mature voice for the team. That starts with less jawing at officials.

“The accountability for me is, I have to be great with my body language and controlling my water on the floor,” she said. “I need to be more poised. I can’t be arguing with refs all the time.”

Defensive-minded players like Cloud are also adjusting to officiating she says seems to be tilting back in favor of the offense this season. She admitted she’d gotten heated with referees throughout. But her own play, too, has been part of what’s been breaking down.

“There are some games [this season], I walk out where I’m like, I’m trash. Trash right now,” she said. “I needed to be held up the last few games. I’ve been struggling playing, not to the standard that I want to play.”

Cloud is averaging 10.3 points and 4.2 assists per game, but her 2.7 turnovers have dogged her, and her shooting has run hot and cold. The challenge, she said, is trusting herself—sticking to her routines, slowing herself down, and letting her defense bring her offense.

That’s exactly what she tried to do against the Dream on Tuesday night.

She got to the line 10 times and finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Coach Tyler Marsh likes to deploy Cloud like a baseball utility player—someone who can fill any position—and she did it “to a T,” according to the way the Sky tried to frame the night.

Even with all of that, the Sky still lost 82-75, letting a one-point lead slip away in the final three minutes.

But Cloud saw effort, not just outcome.

“We’re not happy with the loss,” she said. “I’ll never be happy with a loss. I’m a sore-ass loser, too. But what we all said in that locker room is, if we play this hard this consistently, we’re going to be in a really good position post-All-Star.”

Against the Dream, the Sky looked more like the team that started the season 3-1 than the one that dropped seven of the next eight—connected, tough, and letting defense fuel their offense.

Now comes the real test: the Fever, the Liberty and the Wings are up next. If the Sky want to prove they’ve turned a corner, they’ll need the Cloud standard for all three.

Natasha Cloud Chicago Sky Alyssa Thomas WNBA Dream Tempo Mystics Skylar Diggins Tyler Marsh defensive identity turnovers