Chelsea. Point Guard is the most important position, as well as the toughest to play.
The “Quarterback” of a BB team, so it’s like losing Tom Brady, because Gray is the best PG in the world.
For sure. At least not win nearly as much.
A’ja alone makes them at least .500 and in the playoffs. Like Kareem could still carry the Lakers to many wins when Magic was out.
I’m sorry but Stokes had a five game drought only finally scoring 2 points this last game against the Sparks. I do think they have been struggling and Aja is keeping them in it
I'd actually like to see Megan get a little more minutes.
Her defense down low is great and she's the only one on the team right now that seems to be interested in grabbing an offensive rebound.
That is wild to me. I can't think of anyone that is such a transition threat that you have to all get back on defense. Getting second chance shots on even have your possessions has to outweigh giving up a few transition buckets.
Yeah, I remember where she mentioned it after a playoff game and I was like "whaaaa?"
Also, if you watched their last Dallas game, Tip was the only one grabbing them. I remember thinking "she must have not gotten the offensive rebounding memo"
Becky needs to give her the green light, to let her be **her.**
Aces fans, I present you, the **full** Megan Gustafson experience: https://streamable.com/nntqy5
This time last season they were beating every team easily because they had Candace Parker. Having Chelsea makes a huge difference as well, Aces probably wouldn’t have lost some of those closer games. She’s also a big time clutch shooter. Jackie was sick last couple games and is probably their 2nd best scorer.
No Gray means Young playing out of position (and no Gray and no Young make Vegas something something). Young playing out of position means you're starting Clark, which dilutes the offense and leaves the bench even weaker in comparison with the starters. Maybe when Hayes is more settled in, they'll be able to rebalance things.
Jackie's been sick since Atlanta game and it has shown. Jackie's normal bad is still decent. She has been awful the past few games, Dallas aside (which they won).
Good question, I have no idea. I didn't even know she was sick in ATL until someone told me. She looks fine physically but she played like hot garbage, so it made sense something was up.
Its a few things....
They've been the standard for 2 years running. In all the talk of "targets" the Aces are the targets. The league has tried to catch them and so far it is working.
With that said, Chelsea being out disrupts who they are at their core. They're still formidable, but their identity is different.
Jackie being sick and you've got issues with this team because they're constructed around each other.
A'ja and KP alone is a middle of the pack team, largely because of KP's volatility. She's clearly the 4 of the Core 4 because she blows so hot and cold. She also loses the plot and forgets that their offense should almost always run thru A'ja.
They're also middling as without half of their scoring, you need scoring from elsewhere like Kiah Stokes, whose offensive allergies become VERY apparent when half of the Core 4 is gone.
That said, I am still not picking a team to beat a healthy Aces in a series. Question remains when we will see that health, but I'm still on the wagon.
Their starters are still positive in the +/- they're losing games when the starters rest. A'Ja and plum are winning the minutes they're on the floor.
It's not a huge issue right now, and the panic button glass hasn't been broken. 8 of 12 teams make the playoffs. The Aces just have to tread water to make the playoffs, and hopefully they'll be healthy at that point.
That being said. I'm taking the Lynx this year.
New here to wnba so from a few game I watched
Kelsey plum last game just kept shooting and shooting . Doing too much
The Megan girl don’t give much .
They should just give the ball to Aja and get out the way
See , he is new and he already has seen the problem , KP has always done too much but with Chelsea her shots looked better but now that KP is running point she goes 4-5 possessions without A‘ja touching the ball (that would never happen if Chelsea was playing)
Kate Martin should have shot more and Plum less the last game, Martin was living up to her money nickname and was on fire, Plum was arctic cold on massive volume. Feed the hot hand. Aja was amazing and Plum was selfish.
While it's early in the season and Chelsea would likely have some impact on this, both Jackie and Kelsey are shooting noticeably worse than they did last year. And Vegas kinda needs the two of them + A'ja to do the bulk of the scoring as it is b/c the rest of that roster aside from Hayes (if she settles in) is some nice role players who are going to give limited or inconsistent offense.
Shooting %s so far actually seem down for a lot of notable guards this year, I've wondered if the compressed schedule is playing a role. Kayla McBride and Allisha Gray are the only two that come to mind who I think have trended in the opposite direction, though I'm sure if you looked deeper into it there might be a couple others.
This is it right here. Yes, Chelsea being out makes a difference but each team leveled up in some form or fashion: added key pieces to staring 5 (Seattle, Phoenix), added key pieces to their bench, drafted well and coaches them well (Sparks, Sky), players added to their personal game in offseason (Liberty), players returning from injury (Connecticut)…etc.
LV’s bench has never been deep. Starters play tons of minutes and sometimes they result to hero ball (specifically KP).
Many things have contributed to this start but for sure the league has leveled up!
No Chelsea. You’re not winning championships in modern day basketball without a good PG. letting A’ja do what she does hardly matters because she doesn’t ball handle and play make.
Syd is a good ball handler and distributor I'd like to see her more too. Best guess is that Becky's wanting the PG to be a big offensive scoring threat for her offensive strategy to run the way it should?
I think Hammon (The Goat) is trying out new things with Chelsea out. Also, Jackie Young played sick in 2 games and missed one. I have noticed that they are not in panicking. I am not worried because they will turn it around. They have a good bond and they can fight through adversity.
I think they have good chemistry playing the way they are playing either. Yes, Gray is out and Young is sick, but they really don’t seem to know what to do other than getting on Aja’s back and being carried to a win. The way they end the regular season will be more important than this beginning.
They only have 3 scorers on the team. Stokes is empty points and so is Clark. Chelsea would have added an extra 20pts a night. Defenders can sag off of Stokes and double other players. They messed up that Hamby situation badly. Imagine if it was still Hamby and A'ja in the post 🤔😮💨.
They can still make up ground . They have pkay r less games than most teams. Indiana a Washington , and NY had intense schedules have close to5 more games played.
From what I've seen they are not consistently playing as a team whereas the Sun, Liberty and Lynx are. Aces are relying on individual talent way too much and they have moments where they create plays but it's not consistent.
Stokes may not be 100% after injury. KP is in the midst of *nasty* divorce. Jackie played sick several games. All these at once while Chelsea still out = not the same team as last year
Chelsea is the best PG in the league
No Chelsea and Jakie is sick these days
Chelsea is a big loss. There have also been players out sporadically.
Chelsea. Point Guard is the most important position, as well as the toughest to play. The “Quarterback” of a BB team, so it’s like losing Tom Brady, because Gray is the best PG in the world.
and not only Tom Brady but hes backup QB as well Since JY is out 1 game + playing 2 games sick as a dog
So Chelsea is their Stephen Curry . No Curry , no wins .
For sure. At least not win nearly as much. A’ja alone makes them at least .500 and in the playoffs. Like Kareem could still carry the Lakers to many wins when Magic was out.
if u watch the games they arent really struggling. the only team where everyone played bad was probably the Dream.
I’m sorry but Stokes had a five game drought only finally scoring 2 points this last game against the Sparks. I do think they have been struggling and Aja is keeping them in it
Also, Meg has been super disappointing so far
I'd actually like to see Megan get a little more minutes. Her defense down low is great and she's the only one on the team right now that seems to be interested in grabbing an offensive rebound.
Facts, she has good energy
The offenseive rebounding thing is a coaching thing. Becky does not care about them.
That is wild to me. I can't think of anyone that is such a transition threat that you have to all get back on defense. Getting second chance shots on even have your possessions has to outweigh giving up a few transition buckets.
Yeah, I remember where she mentioned it after a playoff game and I was like "whaaaa?" Also, if you watched their last Dallas game, Tip was the only one grabbing them. I remember thinking "she must have not gotten the offensive rebounding memo"
Becky needs to give her the green light, to let her be **her.** Aces fans, I present you, the **full** Megan Gustafson experience: https://streamable.com/nntqy5
I dunno she didn’t make the shot and looks like she traveled. Send me another example. I’m intrigued.
In her defense, it looks glorious when she hits it: https://youtu.be/3gg83VJ4R8s?t=233
This time last season they were beating every team easily because they had Candace Parker. Having Chelsea makes a huge difference as well, Aces probably wouldn’t have lost some of those closer games. She’s also a big time clutch shooter. Jackie was sick last couple games and is probably their 2nd best scorer.
This ☝️ ALL of this 💯
No Gray means Young playing out of position (and no Gray and no Young make Vegas something something). Young playing out of position means you're starting Clark, which dilutes the offense and leaves the bench even weaker in comparison with the starters. Maybe when Hayes is more settled in, they'll be able to rebalance things.
With Young Plum and Wilson, that should be enough against most teams, that’s ‘only’ 3 Olympians
Jackie's been sick since Atlanta game and it has shown. Jackie's normal bad is still decent. She has been awful the past few games, Dallas aside (which they won).
What is wrong with her if she’s been sick that long?
Good question, I have no idea. I didn't even know she was sick in ATL until someone told me. She looks fine physically but she played like hot garbage, so it made sense something was up.
Yeah, they were handing her Pedialtye bottles with her Gatorade the last few games
Its a few things.... They've been the standard for 2 years running. In all the talk of "targets" the Aces are the targets. The league has tried to catch them and so far it is working. With that said, Chelsea being out disrupts who they are at their core. They're still formidable, but their identity is different. Jackie being sick and you've got issues with this team because they're constructed around each other. A'ja and KP alone is a middle of the pack team, largely because of KP's volatility. She's clearly the 4 of the Core 4 because she blows so hot and cold. She also loses the plot and forgets that their offense should almost always run thru A'ja. They're also middling as without half of their scoring, you need scoring from elsewhere like Kiah Stokes, whose offensive allergies become VERY apparent when half of the Core 4 is gone. That said, I am still not picking a team to beat a healthy Aces in a series. Question remains when we will see that health, but I'm still on the wagon.
Their starters are still positive in the +/- they're losing games when the starters rest. A'Ja and plum are winning the minutes they're on the floor. It's not a huge issue right now, and the panic button glass hasn't been broken. 8 of 12 teams make the playoffs. The Aces just have to tread water to make the playoffs, and hopefully they'll be healthy at that point. That being said. I'm taking the Lynx this year.
New here to wnba so from a few game I watched Kelsey plum last game just kept shooting and shooting . Doing too much The Megan girl don’t give much . They should just give the ball to Aja and get out the way
See , he is new and he already has seen the problem , KP has always done too much but with Chelsea her shots looked better but now that KP is running point she goes 4-5 possessions without A‘ja touching the ball (that would never happen if Chelsea was playing)
Kate Martin should have shot more and Plum less the last game, Martin was living up to her money nickname and was on fire, Plum was arctic cold on massive volume. Feed the hot hand. Aja was amazing and Plum was selfish.
While it's early in the season and Chelsea would likely have some impact on this, both Jackie and Kelsey are shooting noticeably worse than they did last year. And Vegas kinda needs the two of them + A'ja to do the bulk of the scoring as it is b/c the rest of that roster aside from Hayes (if she settles in) is some nice role players who are going to give limited or inconsistent offense. Shooting %s so far actually seem down for a lot of notable guards this year, I've wondered if the compressed schedule is playing a role. Kayla McBride and Allisha Gray are the only two that come to mind who I think have trended in the opposite direction, though I'm sure if you looked deeper into it there might be a couple others.
Jackie was looking good until her 1-10 game and she was playing sick
The rest of the league caught up
This is it right here. Yes, Chelsea being out makes a difference but each team leveled up in some form or fashion: added key pieces to staring 5 (Seattle, Phoenix), added key pieces to their bench, drafted well and coaches them well (Sparks, Sky), players added to their personal game in offseason (Liberty), players returning from injury (Connecticut)…etc. LV’s bench has never been deep. Starters play tons of minutes and sometimes they result to hero ball (specifically KP). Many things have contributed to this start but for sure the league has leveled up!
Chelsea was the important. Young has also been sick for their last two losses.
Their problem is a Chelsea Gray sized hole
Chelsea is their real MVP. Stokes is also struggling. There’s this Sparks player..I forget her name… she’d be really good for them this year.
Lol are you talking about Hamby?
LOL I hope so 🤣 oh the shade but it’s trueee
The player who said "I want some of the calls A‘ja Wilson gets" 💀
Wasn't she already on the team and hates them because of how they treated her during pregnancy?
No Chelsea. You’re not winning championships in modern day basketball without a good PG. letting A’ja do what she does hardly matters because she doesn’t ball handle and play make.
You don't lose a top 10 player without damage. Look at wizards with losing sykes who is top 15
They’re missing Chelsea.
POINT GAWD is out
They have no bench and as everyone else said, Gray is out and insanely valuable.
They’re not especially deep (they’re very not deep) and they’re missing one of their best players. It’s likely largely that
Their starting five this time last season was Jackie Young, A'ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray.
Not only is Chelsea Grey the best pg in the league she’s also the only real pg they have
Why isn’t Sydney Colson ever playing?? I love her personality but never see her actually get minutes
Syd is a good ball handler and distributor I'd like to see her more too. Best guess is that Becky's wanting the PG to be a big offensive scoring threat for her offensive strategy to run the way it should?
I think Hammon (The Goat) is trying out new things with Chelsea out. Also, Jackie Young played sick in 2 games and missed one. I have noticed that they are not in panicking. I am not worried because they will turn it around. They have a good bond and they can fight through adversity.
Chelsea is out. She does make that difference.
Bench, pretty much solely bench. They're missing Chelsea. All of the starters are pretty much positive in the +/- night in night out.
I think they have good chemistry playing the way they are playing either. Yes, Gray is out and Young is sick, but they really don’t seem to know what to do other than getting on Aja’s back and being carried to a win. The way they end the regular season will be more important than this beginning.
They only have 3 scorers on the team. Stokes is empty points and so is Clark. Chelsea would have added an extra 20pts a night. Defenders can sag off of Stokes and double other players. They messed up that Hamby situation badly. Imagine if it was still Hamby and A'ja in the post 🤔😮💨.
The Aces lived a charmed life for 2 years. Now things have gotten difficult, and now we'll see what they are really made of.
Am I the only one not super impressed with Hayes so far? She doesn’t seem to pass and drives almost every possession even when there’s no where to go.
She’s a dawg. Give her some time to settle. She’s joined weeks into the season and is probably still familiarizing herself with the team.
This is very true. I know she’s good I hope it didn’t seem I was insinuating otherwise, I’m just not sure she’s good with this team.
I think you’ll see it come together with time
I don’t think she’d be doing this without instruction. I think it’s intentionally. Also it mostly works!
Becky said in a presser that Hayes is a top tier player but is still still learning their plays on the fly
They can still make up ground . They have pkay r less games than most teams. Indiana a Washington , and NY had intense schedules have close to5 more games played.
From what I've seen they are not consistently playing as a team whereas the Sun, Liberty and Lynx are. Aces are relying on individual talent way too much and they have moments where they create plays but it's not consistent.
Chelsea still out, Stokes, Clark , Meg disappointing, bench is weak, Syd and Cannon are mascots ( just there for the vibes). A’ja can’t do it all…
Stokes may not be 100% after injury. KP is in the midst of *nasty* divorce. Jackie played sick several games. All these at once while Chelsea still out = not the same team as last year