Aces feel refreshed, re-energized entering 2nd half: ‘We’re getting better’

The Aces came out of their first practice following the WNBA’s All-Star break with their sights set on a clean slate for the second half of the season.

That was reflected in coach Becky Hammon’s message to the team in Monday’s closing huddle.

“I know we’ve been trending in the right direction, but we still have to have effort,” Hammon told her players. “Everything we’ve been wanting to accomplish is right there.”

The Aces, despite entering the season with championship hopes, are 11-11 with 22 games remaining. They already have the most losses by 10 or more points in Hammon’s tenure, but she and the team’s veterans are confident they can turn things around before the playoffs.

Hammon said her optimism comes from what she saw from the Aces over their last five games. They went 3-2 in that stretch, but three-time MVP A’ja Wilson was hurt in the team’s loss to the New York Liberty on July 8 and missed their loss to the Washington Mystics on July 10.

“If (Wilson) doesn’t get hurt, I like us in both those games at New York and D.C. So some of it’s unfortunate,” Hammon said. “The point is, we’re getting better.”

Young, Wilson not at full strength

The Aces begin the second half of the season by hosting the Atlanta Dream (13-9) on Tuesday. Guard Jackie Young is questionable for the game with a left hip injury.

Both Young and Wilson, the team’s All-Stars, did not practice Monday. Hammon said she told them to stay home to prepare for the upcoming “tough stretch.”

Wilson is second in the WNBA in points (22.3) and rebounds (9.2) per game and first in blocks per game (2.4). Young is averaging 16.8 points per game, second-best on the team and 14th-best in the league.

Both were limited participants in the All-Star Game. Wilson scored four points in 12 minutes, while Young only played 53 seconds.

It’s unclear if Young will be available Tuesday or for the Aces’ upcoming four-game road trip, which opens with a back-to-back against the Indiana Fever (12-11) on Thursday and the Minnesota Lynx (20-4) on Friday.

Hammon said her rotations will be important during the team’s busy stretch.

“Just bearing in mind the legs. Maybe shorter stints and just trying to recuperate as much energy as we can,” Hammon said. “But you just take it one by one, quarter by quarter. If we do that, we should come back and be liking our results.”

Loyd, Gray will set tone

Hammon said the team “goes as the guards go” after the Aces’ win over the Dallas Wings on July 16 simply because they outnumber Wilson.

That means Hammon will lean on point guard Chelsea Gray and offseason addition Jewell Loyd to produce as they try to move up the standings. The Aces are currently eighth in a league where eight teams make the playoffs.

“We want to continue this trend of everybody improving. The best basketball is still in front of this team, both on the offensive end and the defensive end,” Hammon said. “Every game is important for us. We’re trying to still establish who we are and our identity. … So give me the try hard factor and the competitiveness and I don’t think there’s a team that we can’t beat.”

Gray and Loyd both seem up to the challenge and are relishing the refreshed energy surrounding the team.

Loyd, who led the WNBA in scoring in 2023, worked on her skills with first-year Aces assistant Ty Ellis after Monday’s practice. She said she feels like she’s finding her fit with the team after averaging 11.2 points per game so far this season.

“We really had a good practice today,” Loyd said. “I think some people kind of forget that it’s a lot of new bodies on this team, so we’re all trying to find our voice, but it’s been really fun to learn.”

Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, said she feels rested and isn’t experiencing any hints of the foot injury that plagued her last season. She said the Aces have adopted a mentality of “new life and new opportunity.”

“We need to string some wins together, but you want to be playing your best basketball in September, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Gray, who is averaging 12.1 points per game. “You try to figure things out in May, June and little bit of July, and then start fine-tuning some things. So hopefully we’re trending in that direction.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.