Yamamoto gives Aces bench needed burst

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon had already seen what Mai Yamamoto could do before the Japanese guard ever put on an Aces uniform.

She saw it from the opposing bench.

Yamamoto scored 24 points and made seven 3-pointers for Japan in an April 26 preseason exhibition against Las Vegas, giving Hammon and the Aces a firsthand look at the shooting, pace and energy she would eventually bring to their own bench.

Now Hammon sees it every day.

“She gives us that motor and that little burst of energy — that Energizer Bunny, if you will — who gets out there and makes things happen,” Hammon said Tuesday ahead of the Aces’ matchup with Atlanta at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Yamamoto’s role has steadily expanded since joining the Aces.

The 26-year-old guard from Hiroshima, Japan, has appeared in six games, averaging 5.7 points and 1.5 assists in 12.3 minutes. She has made eight of her 16 3-point attempts.

Her biggest opportunity came Aug. 9 in New York, when Las Vegas rested A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray.

Yamamoto responded with 16 points and six assists in 26 minutes.

She has remained in the rotation since, playing 13 minutes in each of the Aces’ two wins over Washington before scoring six points in 17 minutes against Minnesota on Saturday.

Hammon said Yamamoto arrived with something coaches cannot always immediately give a new player: good habits.

“I love her smarts,” Hammon said. “I think she’s a super-smart basketball player.

“There are a lot of things she came in with that I didn’t have to teach. That’s a nice luxury to have. She already had really solid basketball habits when she arrived.”

More than a WNBA rookie

Yamamoto may be classified as a rookie in the WNBA, but she arrived in Las Vegas with a substantial international résumé.