Las Vegas Aces @ Seattle Storm - 6/19/18

[Shades]

Seattle, WA - 10:00 PM ET
TV: JoeTV

Video:
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Game page:
06/19/18: Las Vegas Aces @ Seattle Storm - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

ESPN Gamecast:
WNBA LVvSEA,6/19/2018 - ESPN

 

[eebmg]

Wilson going off early. Scoring first 9 Aces points. Looking elite. Loyd got smacked in the face and needs attention and I think Sue is DNP (resting?) KLM starting.

 

[shizam]

Great game. Park, Wilson and Young had good games. Love Dearica Hamby. She is for real. Aces win it! Went into 4th quarter tied and outscore Storm 23-13 in 4th. Wilson/Park had 28 rebounds.
Park is 19 yrs old and improving fast.
Disclaimer - Storm rested Sue Bird

 

[Sluconn Husky]

25 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists for Wilson.

 

[SCspur]

25 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists for Wilson.

Crazy to think she’s just scratching the surface of her potential.

 

[eebmg]

25 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists for Wilson.

and 0 TO. She is making good and decisive plays even when doubled. Impressive.

 

[Reypl21]

If the Aces do end up as a lottery team next year, what position do you guys think they should draft? I know a lot of people believe that either McCowan or Brown would be must picks, but I think if KLS is still available she is the best pick. Another big that doesn't stretch the floor would be detrimental to Wilson.

 

[bballnut90]

If the Aces do end up as a lottery team next year, what position do you guys think they should draft? I know a lot of people believe that either McCowan or Brown would be must picks, but I think if KLS is still available she is the best pick. Another big that doesn't stretch the floor would be detrimental to Wilson.

If they get the top pick, they should trade it for a very good wing. If they get 2-4, gotta go for KLS or Arike IMO. Adding a dynamic perimeter threat alongside Mcbride would be huge for Vegas. The big girls (Tiera and Kalani) are great but they’ll clog up the paint for A’ja.

Also think they should get rid of Plum while she’s worth anything. Nice kid but she’s been pretty dreadful for a #1 pick.

 

[SCspur]

If they get the top pick, they should trade it for a very good wing. If they get 2-4, gotta go for KLS or Arike IMO. Adding a dynamic perimeter threat alongside Mcbride would be huge for Vegas. The big girls (Tiera and Kalani) are great but they’ll clog up the paint for A’ja.

Also think they should get rid of Plum while she’s worth anything. Nice kid but she’s been pretty dreadful for a #1 pick.

I agree! At first I was all for the Aces getting a big in the next draft. But the best choice may be a guard/wing. I’m very high on KLS, especially her shooting ability but they may need another guard that can create/slash to the basket. McBride is the only true 2 guard they have (Young and Coffee are considered forwards). I feel like Asia Durr is the most pro ready player for the draft simply because her shooting and ability to get to the basket. Ogunbowale would be a good choice as well but her shooting percentage is questionable, and she isn’t very tall for an 2 guard in the W. But stranger things have happened so who knows....

 

[Shades]

It’s a tough question at this point. You’re basically judging everybody on their junior seasons. Laimbeer seems to be reverting back to his blue collar Shock days, when he didn’t really rely too much on star players but rather the hard-working ones. He doesn’t care what a player did in college, if you’re not playing good defense and you’re not fighting hard for a rebound, you’re not seeing court time. This was kinda illustrated last night when he played Tamara Young at PG longer than he did Allen or Plum. If you recall, he had Katie Smith playing PG for Detroit. Laimbeer likes two things, size and defense. We’ll see how Jefferson works into everything. She doesn’t exactly have the size he likes. Hopefully she is learning enough from the sidelines that she won’t struggle too much coming back.
To me, the two most solid positions on the Aces are McBride at SG and Wilson at PF. Park has been very good for a 19 yr old at center, but is she good enough (with Bone and Swords being fairly invisible) and can you rely on her showing up every year that you would ignore the most prominent center prospects since maybe Griner and Fowles? I have a hard time seeing that happen at this point. I’m sure everyone would love to have Durr and Ogunbowale on their team, but they overlap what the Aces already have, and you can get a poor man’s version of Ogunbowale in Cierra Dillard in the second round. As far as KLS goes, if she becomes the next UConn player to make the All Defensive team, maybe she has a shot.
But the Aces have been looking good the last few games, good enough to beat a Bird-less SEA, which SEA probably wasn’t expecting. I wouldn’t put them as a lock to go to the lottery just yet.

 

[JellyBean]

The Aces played a dominate game from the tip. A'ja Wilson is putting her stamp on the Rookie of the Year award. Wow. She is playing like a vet!!

 

[bballnut90]

I agree! At first I was all for the Aces getting a big in the next draft. But the best choice may be a guard/wing. I’m very high on KLS, especially her shooting ability but they may need another guard that can create/slash to the basket. McBride is the only true 2 guard they have (Young and Coffee are considered forwards). I feel like Asia Durr is the most pro ready player for the draft simply because her shooting and ability to get to the basket. Ogunbowale would be a good choice as well but her shooting percentage is questionable, and she isn’t very tall for an 2 guard in the W. But stranger things have happened so who knows....

If you need someone who can get to the basket, Arike is by far a better option than Durr. Arike also shot the exact same percentage as Durr (44.3%) against a tougher schedule and being forced to play longer minutes. Despite being 2 inches shorter, she plays much bigger than Durr as she’s also a much better rebounder and physically much stronger. Not to mention Arike is better passer and has a very good A/TO.

Durr is a great shooter but really hasn’t shown much besides that. Arike has had her ups and downs, but I think she’s far and away a better prospect than Durr.

That said, I’d take KLS over either at this point.

 

[Go/huskies]

The eye test tells me the aces are a Mo Jeff away from being in playoff position, with teams like they Liberty, Lynx, or wings, not setting the world on fire, the aces almost look better then all 3. I still think you go with Brown if you have the number one pick, Park is good, but she’s not the scoring threat that Brown would be at the 5, also Brown can hit that foul line jumper and Wilson does a good job stretching the floor, I expect her to have a 3 point shot next season, Wilson is a top 5 player at her position this WNBA season.

 

[jaundicedeye]

If the Aces do end up as a lottery team next year, what position do you guys think they should draft? I know a lot of people believe that either McCowan or Brown would be must picks, but I think if KLS is still available she is the best pick. Another big that doesn't stretch the floor would be detrimental to Wilson.

Agree that the Aces do not need a lumbering post player.
If the Aces wind up with the #1 or #2 lottery pick perhaps they can leverage that into one or more picks and possibly a solid veteran scorer.

 

[Jlong231]

If they get the top pick, they should trade it for a very good wing. If they get 2-4, gotta go for KLS or Arike IMO. Adding a dynamic perimeter threat alongside Mcbride would be huge for Vegas. The big girls (Tiera and Kalani) are great but they’ll clog up the paint for A’ja.

Also think they should get rid of Plum while she’s worth anything. Nice kid but she’s been pretty dreadful for a #1 pick.

IMO I just think Las Vegas is not the team for plum, sometimes u need a different situation to bring out your full potential, I thought this last year when they drafted her. IMO she would do way better somewhere else, I’ve seen her play with the aces, I see the potential she has, I just think she’s with the wrong team/system at the moment.

 

[Bigboote]

I agree with Jlong that Plum can be a good WNBA player, but she's in the wrong place.

I also think that Wilson is the real deal. I'd thought that she was overrated till I noticed how she played without Coates on the floor. Coates was prone to foul trouble, and A'ja always seemed to play better when Alaina was out. Note that I'm not dissing Alaina; I think she has a great future. But I think Wilson will play much better with a 5 who's comfortable on the perimeter as well as inside. If Park develops, that could bode well, but I don't think Brown or McCowan would be a good fit.

 

[MilfordHusky]

A’ja is looking good. She had a few so-so games early on, despite decent numbers, but now she’s more efficient as well.

 

[Shmermerer]

I agree with Jlong that Plum can be a good WNBA player, but she's in the wrong place.

I also think that Wilson is the real deal. I'd thought that she was overrated till I noticed how she played without Coates on the floor. Coates was prone to foul trouble, and A'ja always seemed to play better when Alaina was out. Note that I'm not dissing Alaina; I think she has a great future. But I think Wilson will play much better with a 5 who's comfortable on the perimeter as well as inside. If Park develops, that could bode well, but I don't think Brown or McCowan would be a good fit.

What really helps Aja as well is the defensive 3 second rule in the WNBA. It really can open up the lane.

 

[Carnac]

If they get the top pick, they should trade it for a very good wing. If they get 2-4, gotta go for KLS or Arike IMO. Adding a dynamic perimeter threat alongside Mcbride would be huge for Vegas. The big girls (Tiera and Kalani) are great but they’ll clog up the paint for A’ja.

Also think they should get rid of Plum while she’s worth anything. Nice kid but she’s been pretty dreadful for a #1 pick.

Let's assume they'll be a lottery team. 1/3 of the season has been played. All of the teams have settled into their slots at this point. The Sparks, Sun and Mercury are atop the leaderboard at the moment. The Fever, Sky, Aces and Liberty are in the cellar.

If things stay the same the rest if the way, and the Aces pick 3rd, do they take Lou if she's still available, or one of the bigs if one is still on the board? Can Wilson be moved out to a wing position, or do you leave her on the block, and draft a wing?

Do you trade your 1st round pick if you can get one of the top 4 wings in the league? All of the elite guards and wings in the draft will be gone in the first round. So what do you do if you're trader Bill? Do you try to move Plum to Seattle? Do they want her? Is there a player on their roster you like that they may trade straight up for?

Who is in the league that you covet and would trade for that could help you right now?

 

[bballnut90]

Let's assume they'll be a lottery team. 1/3 of the season has been played. All of the teams have settled into their slots at this point. The Sparks, Sun and Mercury are atop the leaderboard at the moment. The Fever, Sky, Aces and Liberty are in the cellar.

If things stay the same the rest if the way, and the Aces pick 3rd, do they take Lou if she's still available, or one of the bigs if one is still on the board? Can Wilson be moved out to a wing position, or do you leave her on the block, and draft a wing?

Do you trade your 1st round pick if you can get one of the top 4 wings in the league? All of the elite guards and wings in the draft will be gone in the first round. So what do you do if you're trader Bill? Do you try to move Plum to Seattle? Do they want her? Is there a player on their roster you like that they may trade straight up for?

Who is in the league that you covet and would trade for that could help you right now?

Wilson's not a wing in any way shape or form. Doesn't have the ball handling, passing, perimeter shot or quickness to be a wing. Keep her on the block where she is excelling.

If they have the third pick, take KLS and if she's off the table, take Arike. Only exception to this is unless McCowan/Brown both make huge strides this year and Arike doesn't, then you might have to draft one of the bigs.

If a team is willing to trade a top 4 wing in the league (top 4 scoring wings right now are Maya Moore, Angel McCoughtry, Jewell Loyd or Kelsey Mitchell) then you absolutely make that trade, but none of those teams are going to trade away a former #1 or #2 pick who is excelling for the chance to land KLS or one of the bigs. This draft is deep but not particularly top heavy, nor is there an obvious standout like there is in most drafts (A'ja, Stewart, Loyd, Griner, the Ogwumikes, Moore, Charles, etc.) so getting the #3 pick vs #1 might not make a huge difference unless McCowan continues to improve at a rapid rate.

If you're Bill, I'd consider packaging Plum with the #3 pick for Loyd. Seattle might bite because Plum could be a solid player in a different system and could be a good combo guard alongside Canada. If they can land McCowan or Brown, it'll be a big upgrade over their current center situation and now they have a lineup of Canada/Plum/Clark/Stewart/McCowan (or Brown). I'm not sure it'd be in Seattle's best interest, but Loyd's contract has to be up soon and who knows if she wants to stay in Seattle or go elsewhere. Not sure how contracts work in the WNBA or who is becoming a free agent after this year.

For Las Vegas, the trio of Loyd/McBride/Allen nearly went undefeated in college and they obviously play well together. Most of the time it'd be Jefferson out there, but Jefferson/Allen make up a strong PG duo IMO. Loyd and McBride will be a great combination on the wing, Wilson stays inside and Hamby plays as a stretch 4.

I'd imagine Vegas should be a desirable destination to play for free agent wings next year, they may not even need to trade to get a good player. They have a very reputable coach, up and coming young talent, and good pass first PGs.

 

[shizam]

I agree! At first I was all for the Aces getting a big in the next draft. But the best choice may be a guard/wing. I’m very high on KLS, especially her shooting ability but they may need another guard that can create/slash to the basket. McBride is the only true 2 guard they have (Young and Coffee are considered forwards). I feel like Asia Durr is the most pro ready player for the draft simply because her shooting and ability to get to the basket. Ogunbowale would be a good choice as well but her shooting percentage is questionable, and she isn’t very tall for an 2 guard in the W. But stranger things have happened so who knows....

Aces STILL need a point guard. Plum isn’t good enough and Jefferson can’t stay healthy. That’s a #1 and #2 pick they are getting little production from.
Wilson better than I imagined. She is tremendous. Even driving right handed. Fun watching this team.
Im not high on Asia Durr. I am a L’ville fan but don’t see her being a better pro than college player.