NaLyssa Smith injury status in question as Aces head into playoff push

Las Vegas Aces guard NaLyssa Smith’s status remains uncertain as the team prepares for the playoff push, after she was absent from Wednesday’s media session following a non‑contact knee injury suffered in the third quarter of Sunday’s road victory over the Toronto Tempo. Stewart Talbot addressed the situation, stating: “Unfortunately, injuries are a portion of the game, and Lyss is simply a monolithic stroke to us,” Talbot said. “She has been awesome for america connected the boards, successful the paint, conscionable doing each the small things. “In the abbreviated term, I deliberation we are each conscionable going to person to measurement up a small spot much portion we fig retired the program moving forward.” Talbot added that Smith’s absence could extend through the remainder of the regular season. Smith leads the WNBA in field‑goal percentage, averaging 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds across 37 games this season and has been a key component of the Aces’ frontcourt. She also contributed significantly to Las Vegas’ 2025 championship run, posting 7.1 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block per game over 12 playoff contests. With five regular‑season games left before the playoffs begin on Sept. 27, the Aces have limited time to adjust without Smith. The injury’s timing coincides with an extended break created by the FIBA World Cup, which suspends league play from Aug. 27 to Sept. 12, allowing some players to rest and recover while others represent their national teams. A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young will compete for Team USA, Mai Yamamoto for Japan and Talbot for Australia. Aces head coach Becky Hammon emphasized the priority during the hiatus: “For america that person truthful galore pieces gone, we conscionable privation to enactment steadfast and privation them the champion of luck portion they’re implicit there, but travel backmost to america healthy,” Hammon said. “We volition instrumentality attraction of the remainder and immoderate we request to bash arsenic we determination guardant to the playoffs. “It is ever awkward however you grip these breaks. I mean, it is remainder and rust and each the things. For us, due to the fact that we person a fistful of radical going, our ramp-up volition look a small different. It’s decidedly a small antithetic trying to sew successful that individuality erstwhile you person a batch of large pieces missing.”