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In Super Squads, The Athletic follows the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces in their quests to win a WNBA championship. Our reporters will tell the stories of the players on two of the most star-studded teams in league history and examine how their paths shape the future of the WNBA.
The Las Vegas Aces are currently 23-2, a record matched only by the 1998 Houston Comets through the first 25 games of a WNBA season. That Comets squad set the league record for win percentage (.900) by winning 27 of their 30 games, a mark that still stands today, en route to their second of four consecutive WNBA championships.
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Suffice it to say, the Aces are in rarefied air as they stare down the second half of the league calendar. They’ve defeated every opponent they’ve faced this season at least once, though they’ve yet to match up against the Mystics, and they don’t appear to be slowing down, despite boasting a four-game lead over the second-place team in the WNBA standings. Since suffering a two-point loss to the Dallas Wings on July 7, Las Vegas has won each of its last games by double digits, including a 13-point win Sunday to exact revenge over the Wings. Per PBP Stats, this team has spent 19 percent of its possessions all season up by at least 20 points.
Perhaps the next two months will simply be an extended coronation for the Aces as they become the first team to repeat since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 and set a wins record in the process. But Las Vegas has dropped two games this season, so losing is possible. That begs the question: How exactly can the Aces be beaten?
Throw multiple defenders at the MVP
A’ja Wilson is the beating heart of the Aces. She’s top-five in the league in both points and rebounds per game and the WNBA’s leader in blocks, but more importantly, she is the hub around which the Aces operate. She sets the tone with her energy and is the most consistent producer on the team.
Finding a way to stop, or at least frustrate, Wilson is the first step in trying to beat Las Vegas. And with Wilson’s never-ending motor, it helps to have multiple defenders up to the task. A rim protector with the length to contest Wilson is a must as is another rangier defender who can keep pace with Wilson when she attacks from outside of the paint. That pairing serves to take away Wilson’s easiest finishes at the rim while also providing the versatility to contain her face-up game.
Dallas has this combination with Teaira McCowan anchoring the middle and then Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally able to apply pressure away from the basket — Wilson has shot 17 of 46 in three contests against the Wings, visibly and especially deterred by McCowan’s rim protection.
Texas Held ‘Em🃏♠️♦️😤
Arike Ogunbowale: 21 PTS, 42.9 % PG | 4 STL | 2 AST
Natasha Howard: 16 PTS, 50% FG | 11 REB | 3 AST
Teaira McCowan: 14 PTS, 58.3% FG | 12 REB | 2 AST#VOLTUP⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ovzPpU0sGA— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) July 8, 2023
Connecticut came close to this defensive ideal when Bri Jones was healthy and playing alongside Alyssa Thomas. New York has it in theory with Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, but that hasn’t played out in reality when the Liberty matched up against the Aces. Minnesota has one defender up to the task in Napheesa Collier, but cratered on the possessions when Wilson got to attack Nina Milić or Dorka Juhász.
Both of the Aces’ losses in 2023 have come in games when Wilson made five shots from the field and had five or fewer rebounds. Her impact is the first priority for Las Vegas, so diminishing it has to be the first priority for a defense.
Win the possession game
Becky Hammon cuts right to the point when explaining her offensive philosophy: If you’re open, shoot it. If you’re not, pass it. As a result, the Aces get a lot of good looks. Las Vegas averages 68.2 field-goal attempts per game, about league average, but shoots 50.3 percent from the field, which is nearly five percent better than the second-best team (New York).
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Considering their efficiency from the field — their top four scorers Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray all make at least half of their shots — the simplest way to slow down the Aces is by limiting their attempts. In each of Las Vegas’ losses this season, the Aces took 60 shots. They have four more single-digit wins, far below their 15.3-point average margin of victory, when they take 66 or fewer shots. It’s a lot easier to stay in the game when the best offense in the league doesn’t have as many chances to put the ball in the basket.
Of course, restricting Las Vegas’ shot attempts means nothing if opponents simply send the Aces to the line — their lowest field-goal total of 59 came in a win against the Sparks when they earned 28 free throws. The key is to restrict possessions altogether, usually in the form of turnovers.
Despite playing at the second-fastest pace in the WNBA and posting the second-most assists per game, Las Vegas is surprisingly disciplined with the ball, giving it away less than every other team in the league. A defense that forces turnovers, especially at the expense of assists, can get the Aces out of rhythm. Las Vegas had at least as many turnovers as assists in its losses to Connecticut and Dallas.
Turnovers are Hammon’s most common source of angst, and the Aces will regularly reference their coach’s colorful language in halftime speeches to get them to stop giving up the ball. They’re so deadly with the ball in their hands that it’s easy to understand why the coaches get frustrated at their inability to hold on to it.
An opposing team can also win the possession game by creating extra possessions on the offensive glass. The Sun and the Wings had double-digit offensive rebounds in their wins, leading to sizable advantages in second-chance points.
It’s hard to keep up with the Aces. Las Vegas features three players, including Jackie Young, in the WNBA’s top-10 scoring. (David Becker / NBAE via Getty Images)
Score efficiently
Defensive tactics are well and good, but the Aces are still going to put up points. They’ll reel off a double-digit run at some point, and an opposing offense needs to be able to keep up.
It’s important to score efficiently and not just at a high volume, because playing at a fast pace simply gives Las Vegas more opportunities to score as well. When the Aces struggled against Indiana earlier in the season, Hammon noted that the Fever were able to methodically run their offense, and they hit a lot of “butter shots,” what she calls baskets scored with about six to 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Las Vegas loves its pace, and literally slowing down the Aces — whether by gaining extra possessions through rebounds or using the full 24 seconds on offense — disrupts their natural flow.
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Much of that flow comes in transition, which is why it’s imperative to keep Las Vegas out of the open floor. Setting aside the fact that the Aces are bound to create highlights, and therefore momentum, on fast-break plays, they’re also damn good with a little bit of pace. This is an offense that relies on reading and reacting, and that’s easier before the defense is set. Force Las Vegas to attack in the halfcourt, and the combination of three No. 1 draft picks plus the “point gawd,” it is still likely to find a good option, but it’s more likely that the ball will stick or that a defense can take away some action.
Interestingly, a high volume of 3-pointers doesn’t appear to be a prerequisite for success against the Aces. Scoring anywhere on the court will get the job done.
Be lucky
Against a team this talented, one that already has the institutional knowledge of how to win at the highest level, sometimes an opponent just needs good fortune. An opponent can do everything right for 38 minutes, and then the Aces put the ball in Gray’s hands, and she’ll deliver a sequence of clutch plays that have essentially become par for the course for her.
The Fever stayed within four points on a night that Las Vegas shot 4 of 21 on 3-pointers, and the Dream lost by five when the Aces managed just 6 of 21 from distance. The Sun needed DeWanner Bonner to drop 41 points, the 20th-highest single-game output in WNBA history, to earn a win.
Las Vegas doesn’t really have any weaknesses. There are some things the Aces do better than others, but they can also dominate in so many different ways. They overwhelm you with offensive firepower and then bring a similar level of intensity on the other end of the court, where Wilson’s DPOY paint presence is accompanied by better point of attack defense from Plum and Gray this season. They go on huge runs and keep up the pressure, with the best net rating in the WNBA in the first, second and third quarters.
The Aces aren’t perfect, but they’re as good as the league has seen in a long time. Dethroning them, even for one night, requires a perfect co*cktail of ingredients that most WNBA teams can’t even hope to put together.
The Super Squads series is part of a partnership with Google Lens. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Illustration: Ray Orr / The Athletic; Photo of A’ja Wilson: David Sherman / NBAE via Getty Images)
Sabreena Merchant is a women's basketball Staff Writer for The Athletic. She previously covered the WNBA and NBA for SB Nation. Sabreena is an alum of Duke University, where she wrote for the independent student newspaper, The Chronicle. She is based in Los Angeles. Follow Sabreena on Twitter @sabreenajm
