LAS VEGAS — Among the many buzzwords Becky Hammon has used during her three-year run as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, perhaps her favorite is “habits.”
Success relies on building habits.
“You don’t get to flip a switch,” Hammon said. “It’s the beautiful thing about sports, actually. The work and the commitment and the buy-in and the play-hard and want-to and the will, will always show up in the end.”
The Aces simply didn’t have the right habits in 2024. Their defense, which led the league in 2023, was fifth (100.3 points per 100 possessions) at the All-Star break. Their shooting suffered, as their 3-point percentage dipped from 37.2 in 2023 to 34.8 before the Olympics. A team that set the WNBA wins record (34) in 2023 en route to back-to-back titles matched its total losses by the 12th game of 2024.
Las Vegas was without its edge for most of the season, only really discovering that by the final 10 games. At that point, the damage had been done. The Aces had dug themselves too big of a hole, and the rest of the league caught up.
The Liberty loaded up on size to counter Las Vegas’ movement. The Lynx revamped their offense, spreading the floor and increasing their volume of 3s. Connecticut doubled down on its toughness, suffocating opponents defensively. The…
