The Las Vegas Aces missed Chelsea Gray. Any team would. She’s the “Point Gawd,” who has assisted A’ja Wilson on 244 baskets (per Her Hoop Stats) through only three seasons and some change as teammates.
Gray returned to the court on June 19 from a foot injury she suffered in the WNBA Finals. Since her return, the Aces are 10-2, hitting their stride as the WNBA enters its All-Star and Olympic break. Before Gray stepped on the floor, the Aces started the season 6-6. Not an ideal start for the back-to-back champions.
Enter Gray, who’s finished each year with a top-six mark in assists per game (APG) for the past seven seasons. That’s every season in Gray’s career where she has consistently started. Once she was ready to return from injury this season, the Aces eased her in, where Gray came off the bench in the first two games on a minutes restriction. Even under limited playing time, the Point Gawd’s impact was immediately felt.
“(Having) the best point guard in the world helps,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said on her team’s dominance since Gray’s return. “Probably nobody’s happier to have her back than Kelsey (Plum) and Jackie (Young) because they get to move back to their more natural positions.”
Hammon highlighted Gray’s ability to read defenses and make play calls, which in turn takes pressure off every other player on the court. Most of all, Hammon spoke to the joy that Gray plays with and how she communicates, which Hammon says was a missing ingredient for the Aces.
The intangibles that Gray brings to the rotation show up on the stat sheet, too. This season, the Aces have a net rating of 13.0 when she is on the court, compared to a 3.8 net rating when off. Nearly 10 points better per 100 possessions when you add Gray to the mix.
Now, at the four-week Olympic break, the Aces sit with a 16-8 record, which puts them in fifth place and only a half game behind the Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx. Gray, along with fellow Aces teammates Wilson, Young and Plum are set to compete for Team USA in the upcoming Paris Olympics, so it’s not much of a break for Las Vegas’ set of stars. The group is in lockstep after Gray’s return, amid what feels like an MVP season for Wilson. A gold medal push likely adds even more cohesion.
The Aces had to clinch last year’s WNBA title without Gray after she suffered a foot injury in Game 3. Las Vegas got it done in Game 4, but stepping onto the court without Gray as their floor general was never sustainable for future success.
“Stealing one game without a point guard in a Finals situation is much different than playing a season without a point guard in a professional league,” Hammon said to reporters before Las Vegas’ July 14 win over the Washington Mystics. “Eventually you feel it and thank goodness she’s back, we’re fortunate.”
Since Gray’s June 19 return, the Aces are averaging more points, assists and rebounds per game, while shooting the ball more efficiently both from the field and beyond the 3-point line. Like Hammon said, having the best point guard in the world helps.
we missed this 🥹@cgray209 // @_ajawilson22 #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/kxUuhrMMey
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 20, 2024
dimes on dimes on dimes 😮💨@cgray209 // @tiphayes3 #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/NbcX5WZqSP
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 20, 2024
Once the WNBA’s midseason break concludes, the Aces’ first test back on the court is against the New York Liberty, who are 21-4 overall and 9-1 over their last 10 games. The Liberty beat the Aces in the only Finals rematch of the season thus far. New York’s 90-82 victory, which dropped the Aces record to .500 through 12 games, came just one game before Gray’s return.
That loss, that start and that record all helped lead to a turning point for Vegas. Take the team’s hunger and add in the three-time WNBA champion, five-time All-Star and an all-time point guard in Gray, the full recipe starts to come together.
“Man, I missed this game so much,” Gray said to broadcasters after she dished out seven assists in her first game of the season in an Aces win over the Storm. “Never taking it for granted. It’s a long journey. A lot of crying, a lot of missing nights, a lot of conversations. I’m so thankful to be back here on this court.”
While Gray was eased back into the starting lineup and extended minutes upon her return from injury, she helped the Aces hit the throttle as a unit.
“Because of who (Gray) is, she’s like a gravitational pull,” Plum said of Gray’s presence in the lineup after the Aces took down the Indiana Fever on July 2. “You have to respect her, she’s always drawing two on the ball. Because of that, it’s almost like the court gets bigger. Everyone’s spacing is better, everyone has a little bit more freedom of movement and then you’re able to be more efficient in space. She puts everyone back in their rightful position. Even if she’s not necessarily taking shots, Chelsea’s someone who commands that respect.”
Plum was transparent about the challenge of understanding and excelling in her role without playing alongside Gray. Should she focus on making plays, trying to score and guarding the opponent’s best scorer? Plum admittedly was spread thin, which brought difficulty in performing at a high-level and doing so efficiently. Input Gray and then everyone falls into their right spots and gets into their flow. They can get out and run in transition, get into space, which leads to increased efficiency.
Now, after their 10-2 stretch, the Aces take a long pause along with the rest of the league. But, overall, the team is right back where they should be. Even with tough tests immediately after the break with a game against the Liberty and a back-to-back against the Lynx shortly thereafter, the Aces look everything like the two-time defending champs and the team to beat.
Having the best point guard in the world helps.
Stats as of 7/19. Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of WNBA.com.
