The Las Vegas Aces were once the gold standard in the WNBA, but times have rapidly changed over the last two seasons. In 2025, the Aces are barely a playoff team as they cling to the seventh spot in the standings with a 13-13 record.
Las Vegas lost star guard Kelsey Plum this offseason, but they replaced her with perennial All-Star Jewell Loyd. While many felt that this would be a comparable replacement, the Aces had several other issues that they did not account for.
Losing Kate Martin, Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes in one offseason really hurt the team, as now they have no legitimate scoring threats off the bench. With Loyd having her worst season of her career, head coach Becky Hammon recently made an adjustment that could help the team long-term.
Jewell Loyd's new role can only help the Aces
After a 0-point outing for Loyd in a 31-point loss against the Minnesota Lynx, Hammon decided to bring her off the bench for the following game against the Dallas Wings. This was the first time all season that Loyd had not started, and her first time coming off the bench since 2019.
However, Loyd had arguably her best game of the season in a reserve role, scoring 20 points for just the fourth time during the 2025 campaign. She shot an efficient 6-for-11 from the floor, including a 4-for-9 mark from the three-point line.
Kierstan Bell, who has been an inconsistent player for the Aces during her four-year career, started in Loyd's place. She recorded a career-high 19 points in a starting role, and she added a handful of rebounds as well.
RELATED: Aces have an impossible Jewell Loyd problem to solve in the second half of the season
Perhaps Loyd sacrificing and coming off the bench is the best thing for the Aces. It seems like she played much better in that role, and Bell certainly rose to the occasion in the starting lineup. It will be interesting to see what Hammon decides to do with this information.
Las Vegas faces off against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday evening, who have a dominant frontcourt with Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens. However, they are also getting second-year star Cameron Brink back from injury for the game as well.
With height and length needed, perhaps Bell is the answer in the starting lineup and Loyd can come off the bench once again. This allows her to blend in a bit more and do what she does best, which is providing a scoring spark for her team.