LAS VEGAS — Three days into training camp, the Las Vegas Aces are already showing signs of a team that knows how to win. Coming off their third WNBA title in four years, the Aces opened camp Sunday at their Henderson headquarters with a different energy than last season, when they were coming off a failed championship defense.
“This is probably one of the most talented groups I’ve ever had, from top to bottom,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “And I just think we have a lot of excitement (about) the possibilities of what this year could bring. So I think you feel that kind of energy when you walk into the building.”
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson echoed that sentiment, calling it “one of our better training camps” after Day 1. The Aces have a notably small roster of 13 players, a strategic choice by Hammon who wants to focus on players she expects to contribute immediately. With a preseason game against the Japan National Team on Sunday, Hammon said, “I want to put all my energy and focus on people that I know are going to be here. It’s a short training camp. We got a lot of work to do, and so it was just more about getting right to it. No playing around.”
The Aces are likely to sign at least one more player to reach the league-mandated 12 on the active roster, plus two development spots. Wilson said she was heavily involved in free agency conversations but is now “locked into the people that we have in this gym.”
One of the most intriguing aspects of the new-look Aces is the revamped guard group. Alongside Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, the team added Chennedy Carter, a walking highlight reel who can get downhill with ease. “Now, it’s just getting everybody to kind of meld together,” Hammon said. “Chemistry takes time. But we’ve kind of trimmed the fat so that that chemistry can cook a little bit quicker.” Young, who re-signed on a one-year max contract, praised Carter: “She can do it all. It shows that she stayed ready and she’s worked on her game. … She’s had a great first three days of camp.”
Rookies Jordan Obi and Janiah Barker, selected in last week’s WNBA draft, are thrilled to be in camp. When asked to describe it in one word, both said “fun.” Obi noted, “Being around such a great group of coaches and players that have won at the highest level, and to know that everyone was hand chosen – It does a lot for your confidence. There’s no other place that we’d rather be.” Barker added, “This is training camp, still. We’ve gotta make the roster.”
