Aces Wild: Inconsistent Vegas Struggling With New-Look Roster

Roster Construction

With the addition of Jewell Loyd, a proven champion, a six-time WNBA All Star and former scoring champion who played alongside A’ja Wilson and Gray in the Olympics, you would think that the move would be enough to compensate for losing Kelsey Plum. On paper, it is. However, Loyd has been too inconsistent to take the scoring burden off Wilson. On the year, Loyd is averaging 9.4 points per game while shooting 29.4% from the field — a far cry from previous seasons.

Despite their familiarity, it looks as if this revamped core is playing with each other for the first time this young season.

Las Vegas also failed to address its biggest flaw during the offseason, and it’s been harming the team since last season. The Aces’ depth in the post is virtually nonexistent. Without it, Wilson can’t get the help she needs on both ends of the floor, and opposing offenses exploit that weakness consistently.

Lack Of Heart

Even with a roster composition that’s less than ideal, there is no excuse for the Aces to come out flat in games. There have been times in the season where Las Vegas let their opponents dictate the tempo and set the tone. Golden State did exactly that Saturday. The Valkyries recorded seven steals, and Wilson committed five turnovers.

As the defense turned to offense, the Valkyries rolled into halftime with a 21-point lead. This was the second time this season that Las Vegas trailed by 20 or more points at the half. The other time? May 25 against Seattle. The Storm led by 22 at the half before cruising to a 102-82 victory. Hammon believes her team has a heart problem.

“It’s us being soft mentally and letting people punk us ... and whining instead of buckling down and saying ‘OK, if that’s what it’s going to be, let’s go,’” Hammon said after Saturday’s game. “I told them effort has to come from your heart.”

Even in some of the games that the Aces have won, they started flat but eventually showed some grit and willed themselves to victory. The Aces, with their flaws, cannot afford to play down to anyone.

The Fix

From a roster standpoint, the Aces could benefit from being active at the trade deadline. The Loyd acquisition isn’t producing the expected results. They lack depth in the post. The Aces front office needs to be aggressive in addressing the needs of this roster.

Hammon said she’s not going to coach effort, and she shouldn’t have to. Effort is between the women on the roster, and it’s up for them to decide whether or not they will come to play game in and game out.

There are 13 strangers in the W masquerading as the Las Vegas Aces. The look is there. They look like the Aces, but their game is showing this is someone else. The real Aces wouldn’t play like this, and they wouldn’t treat the game like they do — with a lack of energy and effort. It’s still early enough in the season for them to find their best selves. Whether or not they have the will to do it remains to be seen.