The Las Vegas Aces lost only six games in the 2023 regular season en route to their second consecutive WNBA championship. A fourth into this season, and the Aces have lost five of 10 games to sit seventh in the league standings.
In 2023, the Aces averaged a league-leading 92.8 points per game while holding opponents to 80.3 points (second overall) per game. However, there was no discussion internally about being a “superteam.”
“I don’t feel that we’ve won enough to claim that,” two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson told CBS Sports last August.
Last year, Wilson was talking more about titles than individual games, but it begs the question: What is wrong with the reigning WNBA champions?
Through 10 games, the Aces are still keeping teams under 90 points. The bad news: so is everyone else. Opponents are scoring an average of 83.9 points against Las Vegas this season, the eighth best in the league right now. The back-to-back champions have a 102.1 defensive rating in 2024, good for seventh overall.
“Quite frankly, I have not felt good about the vibe since Day 1. I think our defense has sucked from Day 1,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said Tuesday. “I mean, I’ve had them in defensive stances doing slides…
