What's wrong with the Aces? Las Vegas in 'uncharted territory' after poor start to WNBA season

Getty Images

For the second season in a row, the Las Vegas Aces are 5-5 through their first 10 games. And this time around, the questions about their slow start and ability to contend for a title feel much more serious. Not only from outside observers, but their own locker room.

Following a 27-point defeat to the expansion Golden State Valkyries earlier this month, veteran point guard Chelsea Gray said the team, which won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, was "trying to figure it out in our locker room, in our meetings... It's uncharted territory right now that we have not seen this side or played like this since we've been together and played under [coach] Becky [Hammon]."

Hammon, for her part, ripped her team for being "soft mentally and letting people punk us" after the loss to the Valkyries. "I told them effort has to come from your heart. The schemes, the discipline, the habits -- that's your head. Right now we not only have a heart issue, but it's [becoming] a head issue."

"I'm not going to coach effort," Hammon continued. "It's one thing I can't deal with. You are in charge of your effort. ... I've never been a coach to pull for mistakes, but I will pull for effort."

WNBA Power Rankings: Caitlin Clark's return has Fever back to their best, Dream continue strong start

Jack Maloney

Nothing has improved since then. In fact, the situation has only gotten worse with A'ja Wilson sidelined due to a concussion. The reigning MVP will miss her third consecutive game Tuesday night against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. Ahead of that contest, here's a closer look at what's been going wrong in Las Vegas this season, and how they might be able to turn things around.

Even worse depth

Despite the fact that Tiffany Hayes won Sixth Player of the Year, the Aces had a major depth problem last season. They were ninth in the league in bench scoring at 15 points per game, 9.5 of which were from Hayes, who came out of retirement to join the team in the middle of the season. By the time the playoffs rolled around, they were essentially a six-player team.

Heading into the offseason, the most obvious goal for the Aces was to improve their depth situation. Instead, it got even worse.

They left Kate Martin unprotected in the expansion draft, and she was selected by the Valkyries. That was understandable, but only if they made sure they brought back Hayes and Alysha Clark. They did not. Hayes signed with the Valkyries, while Clark returned to the Seattle Storm, where she had spent the first nine seasons of her career.

Without much cap space, they had limited flexibility in free agency. They brought in Tiffany Mitchell, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Crystal Bradford, and traded for Dana Evans. In the draft they selected Aaliyah Nye with the No. 13 overall pick.

Bradford has already been waived, while Parker-Tyus hasn't played yet because she's on maternity leave. Evans, Mitchell and Nye are averaging a combined 13.1 points per game, and none of them are shooting better than 32.4% from the field. While the Aces' bench scoring is up a tick from last season at 16.3 points, it's worse relative to the league. That mark ranks 12th out of 13 teams.

As bad as the Aces' depth was last season, they at least had a bonafide supersub to turn to in Hayes. This season they don't have a single reliable player outside of their core. It's extremely difficult to win games regularly when that's the case.

Jewell Loyd < Kelsey Plum

The Aces' other order of business this offseason was to figure out the Kelsey Plum situation. The three-time All-Star, who the team drafted with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2017, had turned down an extension and was set to enter unrestricted free agency.

To no surprise, the Aces used the core designation on Plum to acquire exclusive negotiating rights. However, that was not to work out a new contract with the lefty guard, but to ensure they could sign-and-trade her instead of letting her walk for nothing.

The Aces eventually traded Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks in a blockbuster three-team trade that brought back Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm.

Though Plum was off her game a bit in 2024, she was still an All-Star and finished 10th in the league in scoring (17.8 points per game) and 11th in assists (4.2 per game). Loyd, meanwhile, shot just 36% from the field in the most inefficient season of her career.

Even though Loyd was clearly unhappy in Seattle -- she requested a trade after an investigation cleared coach Noelle Quinn and her staff from claims of harrassment and bullying -- there were real concerns about how much of a downgrade she would be from Plum.

As it turns out, she has been a big one.

Loyd was a borderline disaster to start the season, and Hammon admitted after the Aces' loss to Plum and the Sparks on June 11 that bringing Loyd off the bench was something that had been "talked about." She added, however, that it was Loyd who initiated the conversations.

Even after a few improved performances in her last two games, Loyd is averaging 11.1 points -- her fewest since she was a rookie -- and 2.1 assists, while shooting a career-worst 35.6% from the field. You wouldn't expect Loyd to continue being this ineffective, but that's what everyone said last season, too.

Loyd being much worse than Plum is something the Aces simply cannot afford, especially in conjunction with their weakened bench.

Injuries

Shortly before training camp, Cheynne Parker-Tyus announced she was pregnant with her second child, which is due later this month. She is not expected to play during the regular season, but hopes to return for the playoffs.

Early in training camp, Megan Gustafson landed on a teammate's foot during practice and was ruled out indefinitely with a lower left leg injury. "Really, it's kind of up in the air, but the goal is to come back this season," Gustafson told the Las Vegas Review Journal earlier this season. Hammon recently indicated that Gustafson is "ahead of schedule," but it's still unclear when Gustafson will play again.

During the Aces' loss to the Sparks on June 11, Wilson took a shot to the head from Dearica Hamby and checked out of the game for good late in the third quarter. She was later diagnosed with a concussion and has not played since.

"A'ja took a huge shot, and I believe it should have been a flagrant two-an automatic ejection," Hammon said after the Aces' loss to the Phoenix Mercury on June 15. "I feel like some of these are dangerous plays and have to be looked at. I think, you know, my team's going through it, but other teams have [also] had concussions."

Wilson's current absence is the biggest injury the Aces have dealt with this far. She's averaging 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, four assists, two steals and 2.6 blocks per game, and is leading the team in all five categories. Including the game she left early, the Aces are 1-2 without her, and their lone win required a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback.

There's no way for the Aces to replace Wilson's production on both sides of the ball, and with Parker-Tyus and Gustafson both out they have few options to even try to plug the gaps in the frontcourt.

Is there a path forward?

Wilson's eventual return will be welcomed, but she won't solve all of the Aces' problems.

The Aces' lack of depth is the biggest concern. Anything they get from Parker-Tyus this season will be a bonus, and while Gustafson will give them another frontcourt option when she's back, she only averaged 3.7 points per game last season. Perhaps Nye improves as her rookie season goes along? Or maybe Evans or Mitchell get more comfortable with more time in Las Vegas?

Barring some unforeseen internal development, the Aces will need to look elsewhere to bolster their bench unit, but that's easier said than done. Anyone they could pick up off the scrap heap as a free agent is probably not going to be significantly better than the players they currently have. In fact, they've already tried that route by cutting Bradford and replacing her with Joyner Holmes.

One thought is whether the Aces would take a swing on Chennedy Carter. She's the most talented free agent available, but there's a reason she's playing in Mexico after going unsigned this winter. The answer is probably no, but it's interesting to consider. She could give them the offensive spark they desperately need off the bench if they're willing to risk some potential locker room issues.

From a trade perspective, there are few players on this roster outside of the big four -- Wilson, Gray, Jackie Young and Loyd -- that other teams would be interested in. The Aces have also already traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Storm as part of the Loyd trade. Would they want to give away more future picks with an aging core? Much like the free agent situation, the options for a meaningful trade are limited.

The best hope for the Aces is Loyd turning back the clock. She's scored 38 points on 13 of 24 from the field in their last two games, which is encouraging, and has actually shot the ball extremely well from 3-point range all season (40.7% on 5.9 attempts per game). She has been a disaster inside the arc, however, where she's making just 28.6% of her attempts. Notably, she has not looked comfortable finishing around the basket, which is worrying if her 3-point shot starts to falter. Let's see if she can string together a few weeks of consistent play.

The Aces are going to make the playoffs. and as long as Wilson is healthy, they're going to be a tough out. However, they are not on the same level as the New York Liberty or Minnesota Lynx, and it's hard to see a path for them to get there this season.