Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The end of a special era for the Las Vegas Aces

The Aces rode on until bolts loosened, armor dented and wheels fell off.

They failed to 3-peat and gave up the final match in the fourth quarter to last year’s runner-up in Las Vegas. The New York Liberty were hungrier and had a better crew in the rematch. On top of that, Sabrina Ionescu, who got shut down in the 2023 Finals, outplayed each Aces’ perimeter player. And Breanna Stewart was sharper than A’ja Wilson partly because the Liberty had superior guards helping. 

Now it’s time for the extinguished back-to-back champs to get younger and more athletic with the roster. 

After Game 4, Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said during one timeout that the team was grasping for straws. She also commented, “It’s not going to be the same group probably next year. It just won’t, and I’m sad about that because I really like that group.”

The only untouchables are Wilson and Jackie Young. The former will be the hub of an offense for a long time. She can be a post-monster and spends a lot of time playing like a guard on face-ups. Her versatility makes her one of the top three most lethal scorers in the WNBA, alongside Napheesa Collier and Stewart. 

Young is an ideal complementary player who needs more usage in the future so she can attract more doubles to free up Wilson.  

The foundation is excellent. 

Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum are the high-profile expendables. They are still capable of success, but it will come in different roles and around point-of-attack plus help side defenders and penetrators who can cover for their weaknesses.

Gray missed the first 12 games of the season because of an injury sustained during Game 3 of the previous Finals. She spent most of the year working herself into shape. By the end, her big-time shot/making was back, but she was unable to create separation and wasn’t as effective on defense.  

Her passing is still in the .1% of the league. There are zero doubts she can be a top-tier reserve who alters pace with her outlets and works as a corner/wing sniper. 

Then there’s Plum. She averaged a 61.3% true shooting mark for the 2022 and 2023 postseasons. Her accuracy dropped off to 56.3% in the category. The defensive intensity also wasn’t the same. Her 5-foot-8 stature and 5-foot-11 wingspan don’t help her much. 

Still, she’s capable of providing a spark. In the 2024 Playoffs, Plum attempted a career-high of shots in the paint non-restricted area (43.4%) and logged a personal best in that zone (57.6%). 

Plum was going through a divorce this season that left her devastated.

It won’t be easy replacing Gray and Plum’s on-court impact or their significance in the locker room. But it will be on Wilson, Young and Hammon to step up more than ever.  

The Aces played in 25 postseason games since 2022, winning 19 (Aug.17, 2022- Oct. 6, 2024). The only other unit to appear in that many Playoff games in that timeframe is the Connecticut Sun, with 13 triumphs (Aug. 18, 2022- Oct. 6, 2024).  

They were a supergroup with elite ball movement and protections. Before Candace Parker broke her left foot, the 2023 Aces were one of the most dominant groups the public ever saw. Next to the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets, the Aces are the only team to have won championships in consecutive years. The Comets won four in a row and the Sparks claimed two. 

“We’ve changed the way this league plays,” Hammon said at the postgame presser. “That’s something that our team can be proud of.”

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