Becky Hammon Calls Out Two Issues Aces’ ‘Season Depends On’
The Las Vegas Aces are championship contenders. They are looking to repeat and win their fourth championship in five years. As long as A’ja Wilson is on the team, Las Vegas faces intense pressure to compete at the highest level.
That means Becky Hammon has to set the highest possible standards for her team and demand great attention to detail every game. So, there will be games that the Aces win, and Hammon will still be unhappy with her team’s effort in certain areas.
After an 86-76 win over a Washington Mystics team that had shocked the Aces with a one-point win just before the All-Star break, Hammon called out rebounding and defense as continuous issues.
“Our season depends on defense and rebounding,” Hammon said in the postgame media availability, per a video on the Aces’ YouTube channel. “And I’m going to continue to demand it. It’s that important. I didn’t think we did a great job tonight.”
The Aces lost the rebounding and paint battles to the Mystics
With a strong frontcourt rotation of Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, and Lauren Betts, the Mystics do two things incredibly well: rebound and score in the paint. They lead the WNBA in rebounds per game with 37.7 and rank third in points in the paint per game with 42.
The Aces struggled to contain them in both areas. The Mystics outrebounded them 41-30, including 14 offensive rebounds. They also won the battle in the paint 42-28.
A’ja Wilson and NaLyssa Smith battled on the boards, combining for 24 rebounds and matching up well with Austin and Iriafen. It was everyone else who needed to pitch in more.
“Going forward our guards gotta get in there and get a little bit more involved,” Hammon said. “[NaLyssa] and [A’ja] did their job, the others gotta get involved.”
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young each grabbed two rebounds. Brianna Turner and Ta’Niya Latson, who recorded one rebound each, were the only other players to get on the boards. The Mystics, meanwhile, got seven rebounds, including five offensive boards, from starting wings Sonia Citron and Michaela Onyenwere.
Efficient 3-point shooting and capitalizing on the Mystics’ sixteen turnovers allowed the Aces to overcome the deficit on the boards and in the paint. In the playoffs, against a more veteran team, they may not be able to overcome losing the rebounding and paint battles.
Defense has been a focus for Hammon all season long
The Aces have one of the best defenders in the league. A’ja Wilson is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year. She leads the W in blocks per game with 2.1 and is one of just five players who average at least one block and one steal per game. Wilson can also switch onto guards and defend well on the perimeter. She reminded everyone of her ability to do that when she deflected a pass in a late-game matchup with Caitlin Clark to give Chelsea Gray a chance to hit the game-winner.
Nevertheless, the Aces’ team defense hasn’t been great this season. They rank sixth in defensive rating, which isn’t terrible but isn't great either, and Becky Hammon has reiterated the importance of locking in on defense on several occasions. With A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, the Aces are a scary offensive team, but they look most like the three-time champions they are when they are locked in on defense and playing strong two-way basketball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.