Michael Voepel, ESPN.com Oct. 17, 2023, 2:17 p.m. ET
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- Michael Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.
NEW YORK – Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson had just scored 40 points – a career-high at the time – becoming the eighth player in WNBA history to score 40 points and 10 rebounds in a game.
But immediately after the August win, Wilson made a point to tell guard Kelsey Plum how proud she was of her.
“You talk about growth?” Wilson said after Plum had 19 points, 10 assists and shot 70% from the field. “This is growth. Every day she comes and she feels better.
“We joke with her about not passing the basketball. But she shows us every day that she has worked on that aspect of her game. We can’t do the things we do if she doesn’t attack and distribute the ball.”
Two months later, Plum may have to experience some of the most important minutes of her career in a playmaking role. The Aces lead 2-1 in the best-of-five WNBA finals heading into Game 4 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN app) against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.
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Aces coach Becky Hammon said Tuesday that starting point guard Chelsea Gray will miss Game 4 with a foot injury. They put the 87-73 loss in Game 3 on Sunday behind them in the fourth quarter. For Hammon Gray, a possible Game 5 on Friday is in doubt and he added that center Kiah Stokes will also miss Game 4.
Plum and Jackie Young, who started alongside Gray for Las Vegas the past three seasons, may have to take over point guard duties instead. The Aces canceled their optional shooting session on Monday, so they were unavailable to meet with the media. But Aces coach Becky Hammon spoke Sunday about how they could rely on Plum, Young and backups Kierstan Bell and Sydney Colson if Gray is out.
For Plum, who led the Aces with 29 points on Sunday, it’s a task she has prepared for throughout her six-year WNBA career.
“It’s hard to relate again,” Hammon said of Plum’s progress as a professional player. “But she did.”
Plum was the San Antonio Stars’ No. 1 prospect in 2017 in their final season before the franchise’s move to Las Vegas and has always been an outstanding scorer. She led the Washington Huskies to their only Women’s Final Four appearance in 2016 and set the NCAA Division I career scoring record in 2017.
Chelsea Gray is a game changer. A series changer. I hope her injury isn’t as serious as it looked. pic.twitter.com/LUrIVlURtr
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 16, 2023
In her WNBA career, she has developed into an All-Star player by expanding every aspect of her game, including passing. She has particularly excelled under Hammon: In 2022, Plum averaged 20.2 points and 5.1 assists in the regular season, and this year she is averaging 18.7 PPG and 4.5 APG.
They’ve done a lot of work on rim reading, with Plum improving her decision-making skills and discipline — like when it’s best for her to score at the rim (something she could do virtually at will in college) and when it’s better to pass.
So far in the Aces’ eight playoff games this year, Plum has averaged 19.8 points and 3.6 assists. Young averaged 17.6 points and 3.8 assists in the regular season and is averaging 16.8 and 4.8 in the playoffs.
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Young is also a former No. 1 pick and joined the Aces in 2019. Their growth path was slightly different than Plum’s. Young was a powerhouse scorer as an Indiana high school star and then won a national championship with Notre Dame. She entered the draft after her junior season and averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 assists in her rookie year. Young had to work the hardest to become a 3-point shooter — and she improved spectacularly.
Young made a total of 22 3-pointers in her first three WNBA seasons. Last year they had 50 in the regular season and 18 in the playoffs. This year she has 89 and 20. Plum is averaging 36.4 minutes in the playoffs and Young is averaging 34.5 minutes, so both are already carrying a heavy load. It should be that and more on Wednesday.
Hammon said the Aces “fucked up every damn plan” defensively in Game 3, and if she’s out, that’s another area where they’ll miss Gray. But even with Gray on Sunday, Plum said the Aces were stagnant on offense for too long.
“When they’re able to load the ball and swarm, it’s really hard to get good looks,” Plum said. “I felt like we didn’t do a good job of moving the ball and creating close-outs, which is what helped us have success in the first two games.”
“We play with pace, but it’s more about the ball movement and the movement of the players. There were times when we were maybe a little faster. This is something we can control and adjust, just like we have all year.”
Adjusting to being without Gray when it comes to that is something the Aces haven’t had to do; She has played every game in 2023 up to this point. But the Aces got this far because they had such good teamwork from so many talented individual players. To win the championship, they will have to rely on both.