Amid criticism over Angel Reese’s performance in the Chicago Sky’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Sky teammate Chennedy Carter voiced her fierce support for the young rookie.
Reese finished with 11 points and 22 rebounds in Sunday’s 77-75 loss, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record 20 rebounds in three straight games. However, her latest double-double—which was her 22nd of the season—didn’t hide the fact that Reese shot just 4-of-16 from the field, continuing her recent troubling trend of poor shooting form.
As critics blasted Reese on social media for her missed layups, Carter stood up for the rookie in Sunday’s postgame presser.
“Angel’s down there battling, she’s trying to get some foul calls, playing strong, playing hard, those are the things you need,” Carter said. “She had an incredible game no matter if she finished at the rim. She’s doing the things that we need her to do in order for us to be successful. Regardless of the outcome, we’re a team, we’re young, we’re growing, and these are situations that we can learn from.”
Carter’s strong words of support for Reese come at a low point in the Sky’s WNBA season. Coming out of the Olympic break, the Sky dropped their fourth of five games on Sunday against the Aces. During that five-game stretch, Reese has recorded double-digit points and rebounds in every game, but she also shot 50% or worse from the field, struggling in particular to finish at the rim.
The Sky (11-18) currently sit in eighth place and will want to start building momentum for the playoffs soon, starting with Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Dream.