Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese showed clear signs of frustration after a blowout loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA’s return to the season.

The Sky fell to the Mercury, 85-65, and Reese spoke on the loss after the game.

While she spoke on the urgency of the team’s improvement, Reese made a few comments about Sky guard Chennedy Carter.

The talented guard missed the game against Phoenix with a non-COVID illness, and Reese thought that was a major blow for Chicago.

She believes Carter is one of the best guards in the WNBA and mentioned that getting Carter back into playing form to help the Sky make a playoff push in the second half of the season is the No. 1 priority.

“Yeah, I mean Chennedy [Carter] is one of the best guards in this league, and we understand that, and we know her value to this team,” Reese said. “Being able to not have her tonight, obviously, we struggled, but I think her being able to come back healthy, her health is the most important thing to us right now. Just being able to get her back out here and just helping us with this team is going to be really important for us.”

Carter currently leads the Sky in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game on the season. While she was snubbed from the WNBA All-Star roster, Carter has proven to be one of the best guards in the league.

Reese has been playing phenomenally throughout her rookie season, but on Thursday, she was missing the other side of her dynamic duo.

In the blowout loss to the Mercury, Angel Reese posted 11 points and 15 rebounds.

While it’s unclear if Carter will be available, the Sky will be back on the floor on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks at 5 p.m. ET.