Kate Martin's Lack of Playing Time Amid Aces Struggles Puzzles WNBA Fans
The Las Vegas Aces would be a disaster right now if not for massive WNBA MVP favorite A'ja Wilson playing at an all-world level.
Even with Wilson's extraordinary individual performances, the two-time defending WNBA champions are 2-4 in August and look more disjoined on offense than they have since Becky Hammon became their head coach in 2021.
One major reason for this is that Wilson's fellow Team USA players Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young haven't found their groove since the Paris Olympics.
Despite this, Hammon is sticking to a tight rotation; which means beloved Aces rookie Kate Martin's minutes have dwindled.
Martin averaged 20.8 minutes per game in May, which was when the WNBA regular season began. That decreased down to 13.1 minutes per game in June, then decreased even more to 10.25 minutes per game in July.
In August, Martin has played exactly three minutes in each of the four games she has entered. And she has received no playing time in two of the Aces' six games this month, including Las Vegas' loss against the Wings on Tuesday.
Martin's minutes getting all-but eliminated had fans in their feelings Tuesday night.
"I’m just gonna say it, Aces were playing better ball when Kate Martin was getting serious minutes," one X user wrote.
I’m just gonna say it, Aces were playing better ball when Kate Martin was getting serious minutes.#wnba #allinlv pic.twitter.com/7GrTwWSEar
— Trent Harvey (@TheTrentHarvey) August 28, 2024
Another fan added, "What is going on in practice? Why are Kate Martin and Sydney Colson not playing? None of this makes sense to me."
What is going on in practice? Why are Kate Martin and Sydney Colson not playing? None of this makes sense to me. #ACEs #wnba
— Elaine (@ElainePop44) August 28, 2024
A third fan is even clamoring for Martin's release, writing, "I’m gonna need the Aces to free Kate Martin, you ain’t playing her and you ain’t winning her a chip so what are we doing here".
I’m gonna need the Aces to free Kate Martin, you ain’t playing her and you ain’t winning her a chip so what are we doing here
— KJ (@kj__1996) August 28, 2024
While those outside of the Aces' organization don't know Becky Hammon's potential reasoning for keeping Martin benched, many seem to believe that working her back into the rotation could help solve the Aces' struggles.
Or maybe fans just want to see one of the league's most popular players on the court instead of on the bench.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.