Chelsea Gray

At first glance, you’ll see Chelsea Gray is having her worst scoring season since 2016, but that is before you realize it’s only because of how much the scoring goes around for the Las Vegas Aces. She’s on a stacked team that has a variety of dynamic scorers. But Gray has been as important to their offense as anyone else, helping keep things organized with her playmaking. On any given night, there aren’t many players that you’d rather have on your team than Gray.

Gray is the perfect example of a player who provides whatever the team needs on the court in ways that don’t end up in a box score or make it onto ESPN’s top plays. Earlier this season, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported some interesting stats about Gray and her impact on the Aces — The Aces shot 39.3 percent on 3s with Gray on the court, compared to 32.9 when she was on the bench. They shot 50.5 percent on 2s without Gray, compared to 55.6 percent completion rate. As great as A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum are, Gray is the glue that holds the Aces together, creating easy shots and making sure the ball gets to the right spots.

Although Gray is one of the most valuable players on the Aces, statistically, she is having one of the worst seasons in her career. Her 8.6 points per game is the lowest since her second season in the league back in 2016. This was also the first season since 2016 where Gray didn’t average double-digit points. Her assists per game dropped from 7.3 assists per game in 2023, to 4.9 this season. Her field goal percentage dropped from 49 percent to 40 percent, and her 3-point percentage dropped from 42 percent to 33 percent. She missed the early part of the season and struggled with consistency when she returned. Hopefully, a healthy season lets her get back in the groove.