While rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have brought new eyes to the WNBA, but the real face of the league remains Las Vegas Aces star and two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, who just played a monster game in their win against the Phoenix Mercury.
In their 97-79 win, Wilson scored 40 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, while shooting an incredible 70% from the field. Moreover, with this performance, the Aces star joined Candace Parker as the only two WNBA players to score 40+ points and haul 15+ rebounds. Even Grizzlies star Ja Morant couldn’t hide his admiration for A’Ja Wilson’s showing.
The early season for the Aces wasn’t pretty, as they started out skidding with a 5-4 record. Many of their early-season games were without point guard Chelsea Gray, who’d suffered a leg injury in last season’s WNBA Finals, and they played without a clear identity as a team.
Despite these struggles, A’ja Wilson remained the team’s biggest plus. She had set a WNBA record for scoring 20 points in 14 straight games to help keep the team afloat. Additionally, Wilson also became the third-fastest player to score 4,000 career points in the WNBA, only behind the Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
Now, though, after winning three of their last four games, the Aces have climbed up to a 20-12 record and a No. 4 seed for the playoffs. The Aces might have had a relatively lackluster season after their dominant 2022-2023 campaign, but they remain a dangerous team in a playoff series.
If Ja Morant’s assessment of A’ja Wilson proves correct, the Aces might have a three-peat on their hands.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies want to bounce back from a poor season that saw injuries decimate the roster. Having served his hefty suspension, Ja Morant ended up playing only nine games before an injury took him out for the season. Injuries also sidelined Desmond Bane and new acquisition Marcus Smart, and another injury caused the team to trade Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets.
Eventually, the Golden State Warriors put the Grizzlies out of their misery and eliminated them from postseason contention. Depending on how you look at the team, last season was either a slice of humble pie or an extreme setback.
After all, this was a brash young team who liked to talk, particularly Dillon Brooks, even though they didn’t have enough to back it up as effective heels. This cocky attitude even got a rise out of LeBron James, after Brooks called him “old.”
Now, though, the Grizzlies might have realized that anything can happen in the NBA. The former top team in the Western Conference will have to climb up the standings again, and they will need all of Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., along with new addition Zach Edey, to become contenders again.
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