\n<\/p>\n
Angel Reese was just happy to be back on the court. After weeks sidelined with a back injury, she returned Tuesday night against the Storm.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t ease her way back, either. On a minutes restriction, Reese stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Her presence gave the Sky<\/a> an edge, sparking the kind of spirited runs they simply weren\u2019t making during her absence. And though they ultimately fell 94-88, it was the most dangerous they\u2019d looked in weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were more locked into each other today, and it felt good to have that,\u201d Ariel Atkins said after the game.<\/p>\n Head coach Tyler Marsh added: \u201c[Reese] being back not only adds to our versatility but our overall feel and confidence and morale of everyone around her.\u201d<\/p>\n But beneath Reese\u2019s return to the court, another story was humming.<\/p>\n Even by the league\u2019s new \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d standard of injury reporting, Reese\u2019s absence has been unusually opaque. Head coach Tyler Marsh has offered little beyond vague timelines, often sounding not entirely in the loop himself. Other dynamics only deepened the mystery: she didn\u2019t attend two road trips, missed a shootaround, and even missed a home game.<\/p>\n Reese is usually at the center of the action, injured or not. That she wasn\u2019t this time felt uncharacteristic \u2014 and hinted at a deeper discord.<\/p>\n Before the game, speaking to reporters for the first time since July 29, she seemed to confirm as much. Asked how her recovery went, she replied, \u201cI\u2019ll speak on that after the season.\u201d Asked about her return: \u201cPut all the bulls\u2014 to the side, I wanna hoop.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments were enough to make Sky fans shift in their seats. In Chicago, history doesn\u2019t repeat \u2014 but it sure does rhyme.<\/p>\n High-profile players getting fed up with the Sky organization has become a genre unto itself: Sylvia Fowles, Elena Delle Donne and Kahleah Copper have all asked to be traded. Even hometown hero Candace Parker chose Vegas over a Chicago sendoff.<\/p>\n Which isn\u2019t to say Angel Reese is plotting her exit. Her comments could just signal a minor tension in an otherwise healthy marriage. They also could signal an internal struggle, rather than one with the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cSitting on the sidelines is no fun,\u201d Reese said after the game. \u201cDoing rehab every single day is no fun. Just sitting figuring out what\u2019s going on with myself. I learned a lot about myself for the last three, four weeks. But I\u2019m just super grateful for everybody that was in my corner \u2014 my teammates, my coaches that were here for me through the whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n