The Las Vegas Aces are off to a fast start this season, winning eight of their first nine games. Along with A’ Ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young are huge factors in the way Las Vegas is playing.
Last year the Aces were 24-8 and one of the best teams in the WNBA, but it was a different style of play. Then, the Aces were primarily an inside team that only took 13.4 three-point shots per game. This season under the leadership of new head coach Becky Hammon, who is running fast pace offense and wants more three-point shots attempted, the Aces are thriving.
So far this season, the Aces are taking 25.5 three-pointers per game and shooting 39% from beyond the arc. In a game against the Los Angeles Sparks, the Aces tied the WNBA three-point record with 18 made. Young and Plum are benefiting nicely because of the more fast-paced offense.
Jackie Young
Last season Young averaged 12.2 points per game while attempting 9.6 shots per game. However, she only tried 0.6 three-pointers per game under then-coach Bill Laimbeer.
Through the first nine games this season, Young is playing outstanding, scoring 18.2 points per game, and she is also taking three-points shots per game. The fourth-year player is aggressive and playing with a ton of confidence in the new system. She is showing why she was the No.1 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
Kelsey Plum
Last season, Plum won the Sixth Women of the Year award, averaging 14.8 points per game. She shot 43% from the field and 38% from three-point land. She was one of the few players that had the freedom to shoot three-point shots under Laimbeer.
Early this season, Plum is on an absolute tear; she is averaging 18.2 points per game on 47% shooting from beyond the arc. In addition, she has taken 6.6 three-pointers per game. Plum is also averaging a career-high 5.8 assists per game. Every time Plum takes a shot, it feels like it is going in. She is playing aggressively and confidently, just like Young.
Hammon’s fast pace offense is taking the Aces to new heights. It gives Wilson more room to work and helps take players like Young and Plum to different levels. It will be interesting to see if Las Vegas can keep up this crazy pace; they are definitely fun to watch.
