UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Chennedy Carter needed just five dribbles in 5 seconds to race down the floor and eek in a layup before the third-quarter buzzer sounded in Wednesday's matchup between her Las Vegas Aces and the Connecticut Sun.
It was one of several jaw-dropping plays the 5-foot-9 guard made in her third game with Las Vegas, a 98-69 win in which Carter led all scorers with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes off the bench.
"The speed is eye-popping ... especially if you haven't really seen it or you haven't seen it in a while," Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "Some of the moves she makes are crazy."
The WNBA hasn't seen Carter's explosiveness in a while, as she did not sign with a team in 2025, though she did play overseas. But the Aces (2-1), who retained their championship core from last season, made waves in free agency when they brought in Carter on a one-year deal at the veterans minimum.
And if her first three games are any indication of how the rest of the season will go, her signing will turn out to be perhaps the impactful move of the entire offseason.
"For me, it was like, I can help them. They can help me. This can be a dynasty," Carter said. "So I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be a part of a winning organization."
After Tuesday's performance, Carter is second on the Aces in scoring at 19.7 points per game, behind only four-time MVP A'ja Wilson's 20.
"We don't ask too much of her," Wilson said. "We just ask her to do her job. And for her to be in our system and figure that out, I think, goes to show the professionalism that she truly has. And it's been a joy to watch her grow and flourish."
Though her talent has been undeniable, Carter's WNBA career has been rocky. In 2021, she was suspended midway through the season -- her second with the Atlanta Dream, who drafted her No. 4 in 2020 -- because of "conduct detrimental to the team" and did not return the remainder of the year. She played for the Sparks in 2022, and the franchise exercised her fourth-year option on her rookie-scale contract, but she was waived ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Carter did not sign with a team in 2023 and later suited up for the Sky for one season in 2024.
Carter's electric start to the 2026 season has reminded fans why she was considered one of the most exciting young prospects when she entered the league. The guard credited her early success this year to the fit and comfort level she already feels with the Aces, particularly their strong group of veteran leaders, including Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.
"Everybody's just really put together here," Carter said. "It seems like a great organization, and it's like a family. We all have a bond. I mean, it just feels like home. We're all well taken care of on the court, off the court."
Carter had a hot start Wednesday with eight first-quarter points to help Las Vegas build an early lead before finishing on a heater with nine points in the fourth quarter alone, helping push the Aces' advantage into the 30s. She shot 13-for-16 (1-for-2 from 3) against the 0-3 Sun, boosting her shooting clip to 73%.
And that's all while she's still working to integrate into the Aces' system. Hammon -- a stickler for defense -- has been on her for defensive effort and embracing more of the "little nuances" of the game.
"She's going to push me," Carter said. "She's going to be hard on me, but ultimately it's to make me better. And I've embraced that, being coached hard and being asked to do more, and I feel like it's bringing the best out of me."
There's also the matter of reconciling her flashy, "wild-card" nature, as Hammon put it, with what the Aces need to accomplish as a collective -- ideally their fourth championship in five years. But the coach sees that quality as "part of [Carter's] greatness," and something she doesn't want to completely eradicate.
"I think the game is slowing down for her now," Wilson said. "Coming into a new system, and particularly ours, you've got to take a beat a little bit. And Chennedy's game is the complete opposite. But her finding the in-between, that happy medium of 'I can still play at my pace, but also take a beat for my teammates,' is something that's key, and watching her grow into that has not only helped us as a team but helped her as well."