Moments after point guard Chelsea Gray missed a jumper that could have saved the defending champion’s season, Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis shook his head and chuckled as he left his courtside seat, taking a break before overtime of a must-win WNBA playoffs semifinals game against the Golden State Valkyries.
What else is there to do but laugh when you’ve set a standard, and then it comes back to bite?
That’s exactly what Gray newly minted five-time MVP A’ja Wilson did as they addressed reporters following the 87-77 loss on Friday, Oct. 9 — in between moments of reflection and emotion, they laughed.
“I feel llike we have created a culture and a standard that if we don't do what people want us to do and what they've seen us do all the time, they're
like, ‘Well, what's wrong with you?’ or ‘Y’all aint the same,’ or ‘Y’all are washed,’” Wilson said.
“But I also take a lot of pride in knowing that I'm held to that standard, because I'm gonna try to try to show up and uphold that standard every single opportunity that I get. Because, (expletive), we created it.”
The expectations Wilson outlined come with winning three WNBA championships in the five years.
Unexpected, was an eighth-straight semifinals appearance ending in a sweep to a two-year-old expansion team. A deep, defensively strong squad led by Natalie Nakase, who was Aces coach Becky Hammon’s lead assistant for two of their three titles before she left to lead the Valkyries in 2025. Her roster was bolstered by two former Aces, Kiah Stokes and Tiffany Hayes.
Now, Hammon and the Aces’ front office are left to determine how they can rise to the level of competition that’s been sharpened by their dynastic run.
What are the Aces missing?
In the aftermath of the Aces’ season-ending loss, a solemn Hammon paused her way through congratulations for Nakase and assessments of her own team. The fifth-year head coach entered the matchup 4-1 in elimination games and had never been swept.
Defense wins championships and Nakase made sure the Valkyries were the best team in the league in that category all season with a 99.1 defense rating. The Aces, on the other hand, were fifth in the WNBA (105.9 defensive rating).
“We had moments where we were pretty good, but we weren't good enough,” Hammon said in a post mortem of her team’s defense. “To be at a championship level, you have to be clicking on all cylinders on both ends, and we were not.”
Hammon said in addition to not being strong enough defensively, they didn’t have a player with a "Dennis Rodman-like" natural knack for rebounding. Although Wilson set a single-season record for rebounds in 2024, she has been frank about forgetting to rebound at times – which makes sense given the way Hammon uses her like a point-forward, allowing her to take the ball up and facilitate plays.
Asked what she’d prioritize in the offseason, Hammon said it was a “hard question to answer” because there were too many things going through her mind. When asked to elaborate, she emphasized how much of a role health and luck played in the outcome.
“There has to be some things that go your way. You have to get some lucky breaks. And we've been pretty lucky around here. We've done some good things and made our own breaks at times. Other times, you know, it's tougher to make those little things happen for you, and there's some things that happen that are completely out of your control,” Hammon said, “You have to be healthy. Even on the basketball court, you’ve to have some breaks go your way.”
The Aces signed Kalani Brown when they lost NaLyssa Smith to knee injury in August. Reserve guard Dana Evans appeared in 14 regular-season and two playoff games as she dealt with a knee injury. Forward Stephanie Talbot and Jewell Loyd were on and off the injury report during the postseason. Even Wilson, historically durable, missed three regular-season games with a lower leg injury and back issue the team described as “lingering” when she returned.
All of that injuries showed on the court as a lack of depth took a toll. Stokes said her former team was missing shots because they were tired. Meanwhile, the Valkyries had the deep bench to “come in waves,” as Gray phrased it.
Is this the end of the Aces’ dynasty?
At media day ahead of the Aces’ season, the word dynasty was hard to ignore.
“We’re aware of what we’re building,” Gray said at the time. “We’ve stacked some championships and accolades and so people are like, ‘Yeah, that’s a dynasty.’ But how can we make this dynasty different than the ones that have been created before? I think that’s how we empower people. How we share our stories — our journey together, will be different.”
But as the Aces built, the league adapted. This will be the first time since 2021 the Finals won’t include the Aces or New York Liberty. Instead, the Valkyries will face the Dream, who also swept their way to the Finals.
To reestablish dominance, the Aces will have to “make some moves,” as Hammon said. As the roster currenty stands, the team has five players signed through next season: Wilson, Gray, Loyd, Evans and rookie Janiah Barker.
Guard Jackie Young headlines the group of pending free agents. While Hammon said she’ll be “top priority,” the Aces still have to re-sign NaLyssa Smith, and consider Talbot, forward Kierstan Bell, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Brianna Turner and Justine Pissott.
In what’s likely a huge point of relief for president/general manager Nikki Fargas, the Aces won’t have to worry about Wilson hitting free agency until 2029.
“This is just not our time, and I'm OK with that. I'm at peace with that and the great things that we did do,” Wilson said. “We’re going to have another opportunity, I guarantee you that.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The standard A’ja Wilson helped create now defines the Aces’ future
