In a hustling offseason where most players were looking for better opportunities, Chennedy Carter was looking for redemption. The 27-year-old went from WNBA prodigy to being without a team for last year’s WNBA season. Now that she’s back with the Las Vegas Aces in a training camp contract and made a mark immediately in a preseason win over Japan, head coach Becky Hammon has come clean on the role she demands from Carter.

Speaking at the post-game press conference, Hammon clearly reflected on Carter’s role in the roster and the preseason games, remarking that the backcourt player is currently striving to make herself fit into that position from a physical perspective.

“I think for myself and her, we’re going to stay on her for just defense,” Hammon said. “She’s still learning our system- our dos and don’ts, how we want to play, and when we are persistent. I probably let her run a little too long on a couple of stretches because she’s still working herself back into game shape. And what I’m asking her to do is kind of an exhaustive role in the sense of like picking up full court and then pushing tempo offensively as well.

“You have to be in really phenomenal shape for what I’m asking her to do. So, I’ll continue to talk to her and communicate what I want from her. But she’s been great, very responsive, and it’s nice to have speed, ” the Aces head coach added further.

Carter is one of the most versatile and dynamic guards of her generation, making a name for herself with a stellar rookie season in 2020 (17.44 ppg in 16) that earned her a place in that year’s All-Rookie team. But her on-court basketball prowess is often overshadowed by controversies stemming from her behavioral conflicts. In her second year at Atlanta, Carter got into a locker room dispute.

Reportedly, she was in a verbal scuffle with teammate Courtney Williams. And subsequently challenged Williams to a fight, and, as a result of this behavioral indiscipline, she was traded to the LA Sparks. Her tenure with the Sparks and later with the Chicago Sky also spanned the same way it did in Atlanta. And after she was let go by the Chicago Sky despite a fantastic season (averaging 17.5 ppg) with the team, no team bid for her, and she had to sit out the 2025 WNBA season.

As a result, the Las Vegas Aces training camp contract is a breather for her to return to the WNBA. And in her first preseason appearance against the Japan national team, she seized the opportunity, recording 18 points while also looking quite formidable on defense. And coupled with Chelsea Gray’s 16 and Jackie Young’s 17 points, Carter helped the Aces defeat Japan 94-78 at the Michelob Ultra Arena despite their franchise’s star A’ja Wilson being out with a right ankle injury.

Now, offensive explosiveness is often synonymous with her. And why not? In her time at the W, Carter has scored 14.6 points per game, shooting north of 47%. But that’s not enough for Carter to impress Hammon, as the latter wants her to be a kind of disruptor in every aspect of the court, including a consistent defensive output.

And the good news for Carter in this regard is that she has stepped into the defensive role quite well over the last few years. For instance, in her one-year stint with the Chicago Sky, Carter averaged 1.1 steals. And according to reports, she has also sharpened her defense intensity further during her overseas stint in China and Mexico.

Las Vegas Aces core guard Chelsea Gray hinted a bit about Carter’s defensive impact after the preseason game against Japan as well. “It’s a luxury, dynamic guard,” Aces veteran Gray said. “People see the explosiveness that she’s able to do offensively. Defensively, she can guard and like pick up, and I’m excited to have her.”

Despite her decent performance in her first game for Aces, Chennedy Carter isn’t quite content as she feels there are numerous other tougher challenges awaiting her in this preseason stretch.

Chennedy Carter Still Awaiting Her “Real Return” Despite Japan Heroics

Now, the win against Japan is definitely a positive result for Carter and the Las Vegas Aces. But it still can’t be considered Carter’s return to the WNBA as she wasn’t squaring off against a stacked W team. As a result, she feels that her real challenge in the league will be on May 3 against the Dallas Wings at Moody Center in Austin.

Carter spoke about it in the post-game press conference after the Japan game. “The real return is when the preseason starts against Dallas,” she said. “But this was a great opportunity for me to get familiar with my teammates and the coaching staff.”

Nevertheless, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to play with a WNBA team. “Just to have fun and really be back out there after 500-plus days,” the 27-year-old added.

All in all, Chennedy Carter is on the right track to make this opportunity count and revive her contract with the WNBA. Of course, her training camp contract doesn’t guarantee anything. But if she continues to make it through the roster cuts and delivers the major two-way outputs on the court that head coach Becky Hammon demands while keeping her behavioral conduct in check, the possibility remains that we can soon see Carter in the WNBA regular season for the Aces.

For it to materialize, Carter will have to be on her toes for the preseason game. But it won’t be easy with players like Paige Bueckers squaring off against her in the perimeter. Chennedy can expect to face a significant challenge in the coming few days.