Not all 15-14 seasons are created equal.
There are certain teams that wish they were in a position to be around the .500 mark with more than three-quarters of the season complete. Teams that are at the bottom of the WNBA standings such as the Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings and Chicago Sky come to mind.
The Sun, Wings and Sky are the three teams as of this writing that still have single-digit win totals. Dallas has eight, Chicago has compiled seven and Connecticut is bringing up the rear with five.
Then – there is the Las Vegas Aces. Remember, this is a team that already has won championships in 2022 and 2023 and still has three of the cornerstones of those ring seasons on its 2025 version in Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and, of course, A’ja Wilson.
The only one missing, of course, is Kelsey Plum who asked for a trade and was dealt to the Los Angeles Sparks in the deal that sent Jewell Loyd to the Aces from the Seattle Storm.
Last season’s Aces had ups and downs as well, but ultimately concluded the season with a record of 27-13 and advanced to the WNBA semifinals where they were ousted by the eventual champion New York Liberty. The 2025 version of the Aces already has one more loss than last season’s team.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Aces would qualify as the seventh seed. Las Vegas would match up in the first round in a best-of-three against the same Liberty that the Aces have become very familiar with given the last two postseasons.
A team that has names such as Wilson, Loyd, Gray and Young at its core should not be encountering the struggles the Aces have. But if there is one word to describe Becky Hammon’s 2025 Las Vegas assembling, it may be inconsistent.
The last couple of games are a microcosm of how the season has gone for the Aces. This past Saturday, on a nationally televised contest on ABC, Las Vegas was on the receiving end of one of the worst losses in WNBA history.
The Aces – on their home court – were dealt a 111-58 thrashing at the hands of a Minnesota Lynx team looking to redeem itself from its nail-biting Finals loss to the Liberty last season.
The following day, it would be Las Vegas that would reach the century mark. The Aces – also on their home court – were on the good end of a 101-77 decision to the Golden State Valkyries.
Las Vegas’ longest winning streak of the season has been three games. That occurred around the All-Star break when the Aces earned wins over the Valkyries (home), Dallas Wings (road) and Atlanta Dream (home). Teams with the future Hall of Fame talent the Aces have are supposed to put together three-game winning streaks with ease.
Las Vegas’ longest losing streak of the season has also been three games. Those defeats – two of them in Commissioner’s Cup contests – occurred against the Phoenix Mercury, Lynx and Storm. The contests with Phoenix and Seattle were single-digit defeats at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Watching this team this season certainly will raise questions about its defense. Watching this team this season will certainly raise questions as to if Loyd is a right fit in Sin City given she is a ball dominant player on a team with other ball dominant stars. Watching this team this season will certainly raise questions as to if Gray is more of an “old” – rather than “experienced” Point Gawd. Watching this team this season will certainly raise questions as to why Las Vegas has operated without a general manager since Natalie Williams was let go.
From a home vs. road perspective, the schedule does line up favorably for the Aces. There are 15 games remaining on Las Vegas’ regular season schedule. Nine of those contests will be at Michelob Ultra Arena.
On one hand, this season appears to indicate the Aces being a long shot to win its third championship in four seasons to resurrect the “dynasty” chatter. On the other, Las Vegas can perhaps draw inspiration from the 2021 Chicago Sky.
We sometimes forget that the 2021 Sky finished the regular season 16-16 then played its best basketball during the postseason en route to winning that season’s championship.
Even though the odds may seem against the Aces at this point, one can never count out this team as long as No. 22 is sporting either silver, black or red threads. As we inch closer to postseason play, the real Aces need to stand up.
And those real Aces need to resemble what they looked like against Natalie Nakase’s Valks rather than Cheryl Reeve’s Lynx if “Viva Las Vengeance” is to become a trilogy at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.
