The Las Vegas Aces began the current WNBA season with strong expectations, but their performance has been inconsistent, splitting their first four games. A’ja Wilson‘s dominant but unsupported performance has become the defining feature of their campaign so far, underscoring both her prowess and the team‘s wider challenges.

Wilson continues to lead the Aces impressively, averaging 20.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game, demonstrating her all-around impact. Despite her stellar stats, this dominance also highlights the lack of support around her, revealing roster weaknesses that have affected the team’s offensive flow.

Fans have expressed frustration, urging the franchise to provide Wilson with more help, especially since she oddly leads the team in assists, a role usually assigned to a designated playmaker. Observers of the game view this as a critical issue, signaling that unless addressed, the team risks a sharp decline.

Analysis of the Aces’ Offensive Challenges from ESPN’s Helen Williams

ESPN analyst Helen Williams has voiced concern regarding the Aces’ offensive consistency during the early part of the season. On her ‘Her Hoops Stats’ podcast, she pointed out that the team sometimes tries to avoid involving Wilson in their offense, only returning to her late in games to try to salvage results.

“The offense, I was a little more concerned with,” Williams said on her ‘Her Hoops Stats’ podcast on Tuesday. “I think, you know, sometimes Vegas, they go away from A’ja Wilson touching the basketball and they sort of dig themselves in holes and then you know they come back to her at the end of the game and go, ‘Hey, save us!’” —Helen Williams, ESPN analyst

Williams suggests that the Aces would benefit from consistently running their offense through their star center, allowing Wilson to use her skills to create better scoring opportunities and maintain offensive rhythm.

The Need for New Playmakers Following Key Departures

Since the departure of key playmaker Kelsey Plum, the Aces have struggled to establish a dependable lead creator. Although Wilson can often carry significant loads herself, the absence of a true facilitator has made it difficult for the team to sustain balanced offensive production over the course of games.

While it remains early in the season and Wilson’s caliber keeps the team competitive, analysts and fans alike agree that the Aces must make strategic adjustments to improve their roster and offensive schemes if they want to contend seriously for the championship in 2025.