The WNBA is currently on hiatus as the 2024 Summer Olympics take place in Paris, France. This break will last roughly a month, and much of the league is getting a well-deserved rest.
This is not necessarily the case for the Aces, as they are sending four of their stars to represent Team USA in 5x5 basketball, the most of any team in the W. The Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty are the only other teams with multiple players headed to Paris, but half of the league’s 12 teams have no representatives at all.
A little rest and recuperation could be very beneficial for teams as they deal with player injuries or address early-season hiccups. However, for the Aces, their time is better spent with their four best players continuing to play together and stay sharp. Last season through 24 games, the team was 22-2 and had won 16 of their last 17 contests. They finished the year at 34-6, winning the WNBA Championship in dominating fashion.
2024, however, has been a different story. Through 24 games this year, the team is 16-8, which means they have already lost more games than they did a season ago, playoffs included. Of course, part of this equation was the absence of perennial All-Star Chelsea Gray, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to injury. The team was 6-6 without her, but once she rejoined the lineup, the Aces began to roll, winning 10 out of 12 games heading into the break.
Unfortunately, one of those losses was in the final game of the league’s first session. On July 16, the Aces fell to the Chicago Sky at home. A’ja Wilson was dominant as usual, but Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray both struggled to put their fingerprints on the game. Plum was 0-of-8 from 3-point range including multiple airballs, shooting just 4-of-17 overall, and Gray played 25 minutes but only managed 7 points and the Aces were outscored by 24 points with her on the floor.
The Aces' stars can use the Olympics to build a rhythm
Perhaps staying in the groove and playing together will benefit the team’s best players, especially because Gray missed time at the start of the season. Truthfully, a lot of the Olympic competition will be lesser than some of the better WNBA teams they will face, so it could be a bit of a confidence boost for Plum who has seen a dip in her shooting percentages this season.
Kate Martin is also dealing with an Achilles injury, so this break will give her time to heal. Her injury gave Sydney Colson an opportunity to play, however, and she was a bright spot in the loss. Colson was a much-needed spark for the Aces against the Sky, going plus-11 in only six minutes, making multiple big plays that shifted the momentum of the game.
It is not time to hit the panic button if you are an Aces fan; they are still one of the hottest teams in the league right now, going 8-2 in their last 10 contests. Though they are currently fifth in the overall standings and third in the West, which may seem discouraging, there is a lot of basketball still to be played. The team is only 4.5 games out of first place with 16 games to go, and they play seven of those games against teams ahead of them in the rankings. They can make up ground in a hurry.
Becky Hammon is still the best coach in the WNBA, and with hopefully a healthy bunch coming off of a gold medal, they will be well-positioned to play their best basketball in late September and into mid-October.