Diamond DeShields hanging tough after injury setbacks

LAS VEGAS — Sky guard Diamond DeShields described feeling ‘‘flutters of joy’’ every time she demonstrates the athletic prowess that once had her earmarked as the future of the franchise.

In flashes this season — DeShields’ third since having surgery to remove a grape-sized tumor from her spinal cord — glimpses of that player have peeked through. Each time, they remind her and those watching of her capabilities.

Last week, the reminder came in the form of DeShields’ 2,000th career point, which she scored Friday against the Fever. All she could feel was gratitude.

‘‘Probably the hardest 2,000 points I’ve had to try to go out and get,’’ DeShields said before the Sky’s game Tuesday against the Aces.

When the Sky drafted DeShields with the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, most wouldn’t have predicted that it would take her seven years to reach 2,000 points.

DeShields’ explosiveness and body-shifting flight paths to the rim painted a picture of a player destined for multiple All-Star appearances and All-WNBA first-team selections. In her second season, she averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists, leading to her only All-Star appearance.

Since then however, DeShields’ career has gone every way except as expected. In the process, she has learned hard way that the health required to play basketball isn’t guaranteed.

But each time something threatens to take the game away from her, DeShields responds by reminding her body what it still can do.

First, it was her return after the grueling rehabilitation that followed the surgery required to remove the tumor from her spine. A little more than a year after learning how to walk again, DeShields was raising a championship trophy with the Sky at Wintrust Arena.

This season is her first after sitting out last year with a knee injury.

‘‘Most of the time, when you guys see it happening on the court, it’s the first time I’ve done it,’’ DeShields said. ‘‘After the play or after the moment, I think, ‘OK, I can do that.’ ’’

DeShields, however, isn’t satisfied with those glimpses. The player she once was is one she fully believes she will be again.

After this season, DeShields will head overseas to play in Europe or China. She’s still undecided.

‘‘I just need to continue to develop and get my game back to a certain place, so that next summer that version of Diamond that we talk about is here,’’ DeShields said.

DeShields’ contribution to the Sky this season is more significant than anything that can be measured by a stat line. She is the blueprint for the kind of player Sky rookies Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese need.

After selecting DeShields in 2018, the Sky chose forward Gabby Williams with the very next pick (No. 4 overall). Together, DeShields and Williams were projected as the players who would lead the Sky out of the depths of the WNBA standings.

The Sky had finished ninth in the league in 2017. The next year, they finished 10th with a 13-21 record. But it marked the unofficial beginning of the Sky’s 2021 title run.

‘‘She’s had great veteran leadership from the beginning,’’ Reese said. ‘‘She’s been one of my biggest cheerleaders and just making sure I give myself some grace.’’

The Sky have a similar record to that 2018 team now, with two rookies pegged as the players who can redirect them back toward title contention.

There’s no guarantee this season eventually will lead to the Sky’s
second title, but DeShields knows that it can — provided the right mindset is adopted and the proper steps are taken.

‘‘I think the same can be true with the two rookies that we have,’’ DeShields said. ‘‘It’s really important to nurture them and to make sure they’re being developed properly because we do see a lot of promise in what they’re capable of and where they’re capable of carrying this team.’’