As the Las Vegas Aces instrumentality to enactment Thursday against the Seattle Storm pursuing the FIBA World Cup break, determination is small clip to regroup earlier the Aces’ eighth consecutive postseason appearance.
The extended interruption came astatine a unsocial constituent successful the season, giving immoderate of the roster clip to reset portion leaving small borderline for mistake arsenic the franchise regroups with 4 regular-season games remaining.
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, the Aces inactive person questions to answer, and however they respond could person a large interaction connected some their positioning and outlook arsenic they statesman their quest for a 4th title successful 5 years.
Here are 5 things to ticker arsenic the Aces adjacent retired the season.
A’ja’s health
Prior to this season, A’ja Wilson had missed conscionable six games successful her erstwhile 7 seasons and 14 successful her career. This year, that fig has grown to 18 games successful her career, including the Commissioner’s Cup title against the New York Liberty.
The precedence of the four-time MVP’s wellness was connected show erstwhile Wilson backed retired of the FIBA World Cup owed to “health reasons.” She had been listed connected the wounded study with a backmost contented successful the games starring up to the interruption contempt yet playing successful those matchups.
Including the Commissioner’s Cup championship, Wilson has missed 4 games this season, and the Aces transportation a 1-3 grounds without her successful the lineup.
Life without NaLyssa Smith
Following Smith’s season-ending wounded sustained successful the Aces’ matchup against the Toronto Tempo connected Aug. 23, the franchise made the determination to motion seasoned halfway Kalani Brown to supply extent successful Las Vegas’ frontcourt.
Alongside Brown, the rotation of Stephanie Talbot, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Brianna Turner volition person to capable the void Smith left, averaging 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per crippled portion starring the WNBA successful field-goal percentage, shooting 63.8 percent connected the season.
While a steadfast Wilson volition apt instrumentality a bulk of the minutes up front, determination volition beryllium times erstwhile this new-look Aces rotation volition person to find occurrence without the assistance of the league’s starring scorer, who is presently averaging 26 points.
World Cup fatigue
Five Aces players were named to vie successful the planetary tournament, tied with the Portland Fire and trailing lone the New York Liberty (7) and Minnesota Lynx (6).
Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray went connected to triumph a golden medal with Team USA, defeating France 97-79 portion going undefeated done six games.
With the full roster backmost successful Las Vegas, the question volition beryllium however overmuch the tourney took retired of the Aces’ rotation.
This is the archetypal clip the World Cup has taken spot successful the mediate of the WNBA season, arsenic the lawsuit historically occurs pursuing the decision of the league’s season.
Adjusting connected the fly
In summation to the fatigue enactment connected the players, Aces manager Becky Hammon present has conscionable 4 games to find a preferred rotation anterior to the commencement of the playoffs.
The interruption came astatine a clip erstwhile Hammon was already attempting to find a suitable accommodation pursuing Smith’s injury, and now, with a caller look successful Brown, much tweaking volition request to beryllium done.
With specified a abbreviated ramp-up to the postseason, the last 4 games, each coming against non-playoff teams, volition beryllium astir ramping up the gait of play portion besides positioning themselves favorably successful the playoff race.
Building momentum
While Las Vegas has clinched a playoff spot, its playoff seeding tin displacement drastically depending connected however the last 4 games of the regular play shingle out.
Currently, the Aces beryllium 3rd wide successful the league standings with a 27-13 record, trailing lone the Lynx (31-9) and the Golden State Valkyries (29-11), but the contention follows intimately behind.
The Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever presently beryllium conscionable a crippled down Las Vegas with 26-14 records and a crippled successful hand, portion the remaining 3 teams successful the postseason representation (Liberty, Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings) each transportation 24-16 records.
If the Aces were to conflict coming retired of the World Cup break, determination is simply a script wherever the franchise could autumn drastically successful playoff seeding. But if they travel retired hot, they inactive person a changeable astatine catching the Valkyries for the No. 2 seed, clinching home-court vantage until the WNBA Finals if they were to beforehand that far.
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