Natasha Cloud’s game-wrecking ability was never a question for Liberty: ‘Fit right in’

Natasha Cloud, being the veteran she is, was taking stock of who from the Aces was taking the court after a timeout late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s season opener.

She then turned to her teammates — Sabrina Ionescu, Kennedy Burke, Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones — and appeared to run through defensive assignments to make sure they were all on the same page.

The Liberty already had pulled away for good, carrying a 12-point lead into the final 1:14 of regulation.

But that moment was an example of who Cloud is and why it was so easy for the Liberty to embrace her.

“She’s fit right in and we knew that she would be able to do that with just the player that she is,” Ionescu said after the Liberty’s 92-79 win. “We never kind of had to question where she was going to fit into this offense and defense. We knew with her style of play, how she was going to fit in and just help us as a team. And she came out and just did exactly that tonight.”

Cloud is the type of player that every team wants. She’s an energy shifter, a game-changer and a wreaker of havoc.

Becky Hammon compared her to a “tornado” with the way Cloud stirs things up on defense and offense.

And the Liberty have embraced every part of Cloud as they’ve encouraged her to play her way.

Throughout preseason, Cloud showed glimpses of how much better she could make the Liberty. But her official Liberty debut Saturday was full of promise.

Cloud had 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in the win.

The addition of Cloud makes the Libs lethal in ways they weren’t a season ago.

The Liberty — who boasted the league’s best offense in 2024 — already have plenty of offensive firepower. And Cloud’s insertion into the starting lineup adds even more stress to opposing defenses, and she’ll be able to unlock even more for the rest of the starting lineup.

But the Liberty needed to add a defensive-minded player who can take control on that end of the floor.

That’s where Cloud really shines for the Liberty.

Cloud is one of the league’s smartest defenders and an elite organizer. She takes great pride in that aspect of her game and, at 33, is still playing like she’s in the peak of her prime.

Breanna Stewart is one of the many players who have raved about Cloud’s early impact on the team, especially against the Aces, whom the Liberty beat in the WNBA semifinals last season.

“Her versatility [and] her ability to get down and attack the rim, putting her in great spots to kind of succeed and read the defense and then defensively, just being everywhere, pressuring,” Stewart said. “The fact that we’re going to continue to build that chemistry, but switching in a number of different ways and just making it hard for Vegas. We have a ton of respect for them. We know that they’re all great players, but Tash is just an added piece to really kind of get up in them.”

Cloud also may be more motivated than ever to prove people wrong after what she endured over the past eight months.

Not only did Cloud feel slighted by WNBA voters leaving her off their ballots for Defensive Player of the Year last season, but she also was crushed when the Mercury traded her to the Sun this past offseason as part of a four-team trade for Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas.

That chip will no doubt continue to fuel Cloud as the season progresses, and the Liberty will benefit greatly from it.