Change necessary after Aces fold in humiliating 53-point loss to Lynx

As bad as the final score was, it doesn't do justice to how awful the Aces were defensively.

They constantly left sharpshooting Lynx guard Kayla McBride open, and she made them pay, ending with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from three-point range.

Las Vegas lost track of her early, leading the Minnesota's first bucket. The Aces struggled switching off of screens, with players looking unsure of who was supposed to be on the assignment.

With under two minutes remaining in the second quarter, McBride drilled a 30-footer with three Aces defenders below the three-point line, giving her way too much space.

This season, the Aces rank No. 9 in defensive efficiency (102), per Her Hoop Stats data. 

Las Vegas lacks elite perimeter defenders, leading opponents to shoot 34.7 percent from three-point range, the third-highest mark in the league, only behind the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings.

The offseason three-team trade that sent former Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks and former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to the Aces hasn't worked. 

While Loyd's never been known for being an efficient scorer, she's been sorely miscast in a supporting role, averaging 10.8 points per game, her lowest since her rookie season in 2015, while shooting 37.5 percent. Loyd is shooting a ghastly 40.3 percent on two-pointers, which ranks No. 96 in the league.

Per WNBA data, Aces guards have the fourth-worst net rating (negative-1.6), heavily due to their second-worst defensive rating (68.4).

As jarring as Las Vegas' fall from the WNBA's upper-class has been, it should be able to return to title contention soon as long as star center and three-time MVP A'ja Wilson, who turns 29 on Friday, is in her prime.

But to get there, the Aces might need a whole other cast to put alongside her. After Saturday's demolition, this version has run its course.