Las Vegas Aces: From Humiliation to Vindication in the WNBA
Las Vegas Aces, after a painful home defeat, demonstrated their resilience in the WNBA. The team, hurt and ashamed by a historic 53-point thrashing by the Minnesota Lynx, faced the Golden State Valkyries seeking to redeem their honor.The Aces tied a franchise record with 18 three-pointers and defeated the Valkyries by 24 points, the largest turnaround in results in consecutive games in WNBA history, according to records.“We channel all our energy into that,” Aces guard Chelsea Gray said.
Chelsea Gray
“When things aren’t going well, you question things you maybe thought you were very strong at,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon commented.
Becky Hammon
The team, which struggled to make the playoffs during the first two months of the season, suffered a three-game losing streak and remained at .500 heading into the All-Star break. The Aces, who had won consecutive titles in the last 20 years, did not meet pre-season expectations. However, after the loss to Minnesota on August 2, the Aces began a seven-game winning streak, tying with the Phoenix Mercury for fourth place in the WNBA standings. A’ja Wilson, the league’s reigning MVP, has been instrumental in this resurgence, averaging 26.1 points and 13.3 rebounds during the winning streak, and scoring at least 30 points in three of the last four games.
The Aces show potential to compete and could host a first-round playoff series. The challenge now is to maintain momentum.“You get excited because you see the potential. You see what they’re capable of,” Hammon said. “Now, it’s that consistency. In basketball, anyone can be good for one night. But the greats, they’re good every night.”
Becky Hammon
After the loss to the Lynx, Hammon called Las Vegas’ defense “atrocious.” Since then, the Aces have had a top-five defense and have been the second-best rebounding team in the league. This helped unlock Las Vegas’ offense, which has led the league in offensive efficiency for the last two weeks. Hammon’s new task has also helped create familiarity and chemistry, something the Aces needed to develop after Kelsey Plum’s departure to Los Angeles in free agency, and the departure of Natalie Nakase and Tyler Marsh, the Aces’ two main assistant coaches, to head coaching positions in Golden State and Chicago, respectively. This trio had helped Las Vegas win WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. With the addition of six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd and four other new players to the team, this year’s team looked and operated differently. However, the Aces did not anticipate how long it would take them to consolidate.“This has helped us come together so that we can all hold each other accountable,” Wilson said.
A’ja Wilson
Loyd, who set a single-season scoring record with Seattle, struggled to find her rhythm with the Aces. She was limited to single digits in six of 11 games in July, shooting 33.6%. Hammon experimented with different combinations in the starting lineup, but nothing worked. Loyd suggested coming off the bench, but Hammon was reluctant to make the change. After Loyd didn’t score in a loss on July 25, the guard insisted on being removed from the starting lineup.“Our offense and defense are so fluid that we had to take time to learn and understand the new habits,” Gray said. “It’s only when you learn those habits that you can start to form as a team.”
Chelsea Gray
Although Loyd plays five minutes less, he is scoring five more points per game coming off the bench, averaging 14.6 points in 25 minutes during his 10 games as a substitute.“I didn’t want her to feel like I was giving up on her or losing confidence in her, because that wasn’t the case,” Hammon said. “I made that very clear. … As a coach, when a player says she needs a change, you have to find a change.”
Becky Hammon
After the August 2nd defeat against Minnesota, Wilson sent a group text message to her teammates. The message was simple: forget this game and move on, but don’t forget how it made everyone feel. It wasn’t her first motivational speech of the season. The Aces’ early-season struggles led Wilson to become a more vocal leader, which has been one of the most important developments of the Las Vegas season.“We know how to weather the storms at this point. At first, we couldn’t get that. We didn’t understand that we have a completely new group, from top to bottom,” Wilson said. “That takes time and requires us to give ourselves a lot of grace and a lot of communication”.
A’ja Wilson
For most of her career, Wilson built her leadership style based on her playing skills. The three-time WNBA MVP can dominate games. Last week, she became the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-point, 20-rebound game. This season she is averaging 22.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.6 steals, and has scored at least 27 points in five of the last six games. However, Wilson is making sure not to force the action.“It’s easy to lead when you’re winning. Winning disguises a lot of different things,” Wilson said. “But when you’re in the trenches and things aren’t going well, when you feel like everyone has something to say about this Aces team, how do you lead that? How do you get all these minds to agree to stay calm despite the noise?”.
A’ja Wilson
According to Hammon, Wilson’s growth in her game and leadership has kept the Aces’ locker room intact.“I told myself, after the All-Star break, to let the game come to me,” Wilson said after a win over Phoenix on Friday. “It’s going to be what it’s going to be. If I try to press it or force it because I want this win so bad for my team, it’s like forcing a fart. All you get is shit.”
A’ja Wilson
Maintaining confidence allowed the Aces to remain confident as they worked through their issues. With nine games remaining in the regular season, they are on the longest winning streak in the league and are competing to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which begin on September 14.“A lot of times it can crumble when you have tough moment after tough moment or you’re so close and you lose another one. It’s easy to lose the locker room, not just with me, but with them amongst themselves,” Hammon said. “They haven’t. They’ve persevered. My leaders have led when it’s hard and complicated.”
Becky Hammon
“This is what it takes to win championships. You have to get it right nine out of 10 times, 10 out of 10 times,” Hammon said. “You just keep demanding that greatness.”
Becky Hammon
