Chennedy Carter is back. (At least somewhat.)
The Chicago Sky’s dynamic scorer returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since a four-game absence due to illness. Carter practiced in full, but her availability remains uncertain for Friday’s home game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Carter – who already missed one game with illness after the Olympic break – was the only player sidelined after a team-wide COVID-19 scare on Aug. 27, which led the Sky to cancel practice while the entire roster and coaching staff underwent testing. The majority of the Sky – including coaches and front office staff – continued to mask the ensuing week while players like Lindsay Allen showed symptoms of a non-COVID illness.
Five games might not seem like much. But in the scheme of a WNBA season, it’s a lifetime, representing more than 10% of the season and nearly a third of the Sky’s games in the crucial second-half push for the playoffs. After being away from the team for eight days while receiving treatment for an illness the team has specified only as being “serious,” Carter was eager to be reunited with teammates.
“I let them know – ‘Guys, I know I was out for a minute, longer than expected, but I’m back now and I’m ready to work with you guys,’” Carter said. “I wanna make a run. I’m here to do it. Let’s turn the page. Let’s forget about these last couple of games. Let’s worry about these next couple that we have.”
Now, Carter will be back, whether that’s in time for Friday’s must-win matchup against the Sparks or later this weekend. And her return poses a crucial question for a Sky team teetering on a tiebreak to hold their position over the Atlanta Dream for the last playoff spot.
The Sky couldn’t win a game without Carter, losing all five of their games since the Olympic break without the guard as the team slipped into a seven-game losing streak.
Can they win with her?
Chennedy Carter said her main goal while being sidelined these last four games with illness was to not miss a beat upon her return: “You still have to work.” pic.twitter.com/V1OvF08OvE
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) September 5, 2024
The Sky were losing before Carter went down. Their current skid began with a brutal 86-68 loss on the road to Phoenix with Carter on the court. She continued to anchor the offense through the next two losses, scoring 25 points in a two-point loss to the Las Vegas Aces before she was sidelined.
In the last four-game span without their star guard, the Sky averaged a league-worst 74 points per game while allowing up a league-worst 19.3 turnovers. Their assist-to-turnover ratio has plummeted to 0.96 while the offense averaged nearly five fewer points off turnovers.
The Sky are still hanging onto the final playoff spot as the Dream mirrored each of their losses. But their two-game advantage has dwindled and the Sky currently hold the spot only the head-to-head tiebreaker.
While the Sky will receive an immediate boost from Carter’s scoring, her ballhandling will be an equal lift for the offense. Carter expressed enthusiasm to dig back into her pick-and-roll pairings with rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Coach Teresa Weatherspoon said the return of that chemistry will be key to regaining the spacing that allowed their offense to work at its best.
“Just her being who she is, being so dangerous with the ball in her hand, there’s a lot of attention that’s on her,” Weatherspoon said. “She’s very good at creating space and actually taking two with her to be able to get that pass to a big. So I know she’s excited. I know they’re excited. We’re all excited to get back out on the floor.”
The depth of the Sky’s offensive dysfunction without Carter illuminated a deeper concern for the team moving forward. Any team will struggle without their leading scorer. But a functioning offense doesn’t crumble when a single player is removed.
The Sky barely take three-pointers. They struggle to protect the ball or consistently find their rookie bigs around the rim. Their inability to create off turnovers, create out of the half-court offense and close clutch games has left the offense on the bottom rung of the WNBA since opening day.
Carter won’t fix any of those flaws. Instead, she functions as a massive patch of tape to slap over the cracks in the foundation of the Sky’s offensive structure.
When the Sky aren’t hitting from behind the arc, Carter creates her own momentum by slashing to the rim. When the offense is stalling in the half-court, she can punch the ignition with a quick transition bucket. And while she’s still adjusting to playing a two-man game, her burgeoning chemistry with Cardoso in pick-and-roll actions have created enough of an offensive spine for the Sky to show counters and balance their offense.
Those strengths might be enough to will the Sky to an eighth-place finish, but it won’t take this offense much further.
As the Sky look to build toward longevity around Weatherspoon, Reese and Cardoso, the front office must add another layer to its strategy: build an offense that doesn’t live and die by Carter.
