If there is a word that has been bandied around more often than any other by the Las Vegas Aces early this season, it has been trust.
A’ja Wilson said that the Aces needed to regain it with one another after a disappointing loss in the season opener against the Phoenix Mercury. Head coach Becky Hammon has brought it up after both games against the Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks. It was visible in spurts across the two exhibition games and two regular season games, but it had yet to be consistent across all 40 minutes.
A back-to-back followed by an elongated road trip complicated matters, but Hammon saw opportunity where others saw strife.
“I kind of like early road trips at this point because you kind of get in that foxhole early with each other,” said Hammon. “No distractions. Lots of times at home, you have distractions, family members and whatnot. It’s kind of nice because it’s just us.
Against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, the trust was no longer taking a backseat, but was front and center out of necessity.
Wilson found herself in foul trouble in the early going, playing only nine minutes of the first half after picking up three personal fouls. When the four-time MVP had to miss games due to injury last season, it pushed the Aces frontcourt too thin and often resulted in struggles to establish themselves in the paint.
A kiss of death, however, was not in the cards this time around.
Where the Aces have relied on Wilson to handle the heavy lifting in the past, Wednesday’s game against the Sun saw the script flip on the superstar. She got a courtside seat to a spirited effort from her teammates, including a bench that strung together 27 points and helped the Aces get out to multiple scoring runs that kept the Sun at bay. By the time Wilson came back into the game and notched a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds) in typical fashion, it was simply to provide overkill on what was a banner day for the team from players one to ten.
“We have a resilient group. We have a group that is going to be willing to work regardless of what the score is. You can work off that. We come to work every day and our practices are pretty tought and it is all preparing us for moments and games like this,” said Wilson about her team’s effort.
In games like this, what the Aces mean by trust becomes evident. Trust is not some vapid buzzword or half-baked cliche thrown around like actors reading from a script; it is an integral pillar of the championship-winning culture that has been cultivated in Las Vegas over the years.
Trust in what convinces a six-time All-Star like Jewell Loyd to take a somewhat reduced role to better help the team and still want to make a long-term home in Las Vegas. It is what brings players like Cheyenne Parker-Tyus back into the fold, despite the forward having limited run with the team last season due to her pregnancy. It is what attracts talents like Chennedy Carter to see if they can find their way after a stop-and-start beginning to her professional career.
Ironically enough, all three players played crucial roles in pushing the Aces to an insurmountable lead.
Carter would pace all scorers with 27 points on an uber-efficient 13-16 field goals, on top of eight rebounds and two steals. Loyd would hit 11 points, nine of which came from beyond the three-point line. Parker-Tyus would come through in Wilson’s absence as well, notching 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
“With my energy and resilience. I’m willing to do whatever it is that’s needed any given night and I just want to make the right play every time. I don’t care about the numbers. It’s just about finding ways to help the Aces win games whenever they need it,” Carter said about what her role is to her new team.
While continuing the winning ways on the court certainly help on the road to establishing excellent chemistry, it goes beyond that. The Aces have built a championship nucleus that has been the heartbeat of their dynasty, but several of the pieces on their current roster have only been around since last season. Ultimately, it comes down to the players to ensure that their bonds can extend both on and off the court.
“A lot of times, the ladies will get together on their own and have a game night, or go to the arcade or escape room. They do stuff all together that I don’t know about,” Hammon said jokingly. “That’s good, because I’m not the culture pusher here. The players are.”
Building trust amidst a condensed offseason and a challenging early schedule could prove difficult, but the Aces are showing in their performance that it can be achieved.