The Chicago Sky are on a 6-game losing streak, and their guard Chennedy Carter has been ruled out for the past three of the six games. Her prolonged absence away from the team came at a critical time when the Sky was already 11-18. In the past four games, Carter was initially out of the first two for health and safety protocol. In the third against the Minnesota Lynx on Sept 2, she was put in the DND category per the coach’s decision, and since then, her status has been “questionable.” The W-L now tallies 11-21.

Naturally, being the leading scorer for her team, averaging 17.2 points per game, her time away is proving to be costly. It was on August 27 that the Sky abruptly called off their practice session after multiple players reported feeling unwell. They were then spotted wearing masks at Sachs Recreation Centre. In their game against the Mystics the next day, Carter missed her first game — which would extend to consecutive 4 as they face the Aces next — due to COVID-19. If you were thinking she was going to show up on the Sky vs Aces game schedule this Wednesday, the fact of the matter is she won’t.

On September 3rd, Underdog WNBA revealed on X, “Chennedy Carter (health protocols) ruled out Tuesday.” Although this is the most recent update on her, there has been an insider update on her health status too.

It’s tough luck being away after being awarded the Player of the Month title for July for stats as convincing as 23.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 50.0% FG. But her fans will find peace in the fact that Carter has finally spoken. An X post from an account named Chennedy Report, which officially reports live feed and updates for the 2018 No. 4 overall draftee, was reposted by Carter herself. They also had a video attached wherein a masked Carter was giving followers an inside peek into her hospital room. The report states,

“Chennedy Carter spent all last week in the hospital in chicago. While we would love to respect her privacy as she recovers, we would like to still keep everyone informed. The process is moving in the right direction and we wish to see her back out there soon.”

UPDATE on Sky vs Aces game (Sept 4) and Chennedy Carter: The Sky has gotten itself into a hole with them losing their seventh consecutive game (71-90) and the two-time defending champions beating Kamilla Cardoso and Co. for the straight third time. Four-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP Sheryl Swoopes was in attendance for the game that never, for once, went in the Sky’s favor. The star of the game was A’ja Wilson who led the Aces (21-12) with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks in her third game in the last four outings with at least 30 points. Post-game conference saw both coaches giving critical updates on where the Aces stand as well as a very critical update on Carter.

Coach Becky Hammon believes they are headed in the right direction but doesn’t think they have peaked yet. “I think we’re trending in the right direction. But I don’t know,” Hammon said. “Maybe it’s just my utter stubborn belief in these women. I just think we’re getting there, but I still know we got another gear.” Meanwhile, Sky coach shares hopeful news about Carter. Nothing is yet confirmed but Teresa Weatherspoon is hopeful. Here’s what she said.

“We’re looking forward to having her back,” Weatherspoon responded. “That’s what we expect and we’ll see when we get home and be able to get more hands-on of where she is. It’ll be great to have her back.” Weatherspoon was referring to the next game when the Sky will host the Sparks in the Wintrust Arena on Sept 7.

Her last appearance on the hardwood was in the Sky’s 77-75 loss against the Aces on August 25. Reese and Co. have been putting their best efforts into qualifying for the playoffs. But it seems they really aren’t able to do so without Carter.

The Sky’s second half has been an uphill battle without Carter

Sky started their post-Olympic break season with a loss and has failed to break the momentum. Carter’s absence after four games did not favor the case for the Windy City. Losing 7 of their last 8 games, they are in a tough run to grab a playoff spot.

Even today, as they head against Aces, the Sky isn’t heavily favored to win. Not only will their opponents have a home ground advantage but the Aces also have an 8-2 record against the Windy City. Despite Carter’s impressive 25-point contribution to the team’s total, they ended up losing against Wilson and co. in their last outing. Now that the Sky’s leading scorer is not there with them and A’ja Wilson has only been seen making it big, a huge scoring lapse won’t be a surprise.

With an average of shooting 50% from the field, Carter has started 15 out of the 28 games she played for the Sky so far. As of now, the Sky has played 32 games and only won 11 of them. With only the top 8 teams eligible to qualify for the playoffs, the Sky’s chances are only possible if Weatherspoon finds a new offensive shooter for the team. What do you think? Will she be able to do so?