2022 Las Vegas Aces season
26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association
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The 2022 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 5th year the franchise is based in Las Vegas after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. The regular season began on May 6, 2022, at the Phoenix Mercury.[1]
| 2022 Las Vegas Aces season | |
|---|---|
WNBA champions | |
| Head coach | Becky Hammon |
| Arena | Michelob Ultra Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 26–10 (.722) |
| Place | 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated Connecticut Sun 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
On December 31, 2021, the Aces named former WNBA great and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon as their new head coach.[2]
The Aces started the season under Hammon in strong fashion, winning their first two games before losing a game. The team then went on a seven game winning streak to end May 9–1. The winning streak ended on the first of June, but the Aces then won their next four straight games. The end of June was not as kind to the team, as they lost three of their last four games, to finish the month 5–4. July got off to a rocky start, with the team losing two of its first three games, but then they won three of their next four before finishing the month on a four game winning streak. The winning streak would be five including the Commissioner's Cup Final. The Aces beat the Chicago Sky 93–83 to win their first Commissioner's Cup. Excluding that cup, the team finished July 8–3, and secured a berth into the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on July 24. They started the final month of the season on a two game losing streak, but won their last four games to finish the month 4–2 and secure the first seed in the playoffs. Their win in the penultimate game of the season gave them the better head-to-head record with Chicago and secured the tiebreaker for the top seed. Their final record of 26–10 in the regular season, was the highest win total in franchise history and their winning percentage of .722 was the second highest.
As the first seed in the playoffs, they had home court advantage against the eight seed Phoenix Mercury in the first round. The Aces won the first game 79–63 and cruise to a game two victory 117–80 to win the series two games to zero. In the second round they faced off against the fourth seeded Seattle Storm. Las Vegas lost the first game at home 73–76. However, they won game two 78–73 to send the series to Seattle tied. The Aces prevailed in over time in game three of the series and also won game four in Seattle to take the series three games to one. The Aces would again have home court advantage in the WNBA Finals where they matched up against the third seed Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas won the first two games at home 67–64 and 85–71 respectively. The Aces lost game three in Connecticut 76–105. However, they came back and won game four to win the series three games to one and finish as WNBA Champions. This was the first championship in franchise history. This also marked the first time a team won both the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA Finals.
During the postseason, A'ja Wilson was named MVP, Jackie Young won Most Improved Player, Chelsea Gray was Finals MVP, and Coach Becky Hammon was named Coach of the Year in her first season.
Transactions
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Mya Hollingshed |  Puerto Rico |
Colorado |
| 1 | 11 | Kierstan Bell |  United States |
Florida Gulf Coast |
| 2 | 13 | Khayla Pointer | United States |
LSU |
| 2 | 23 | Aisha Sheppard | United States |
Virginia Tech |
| 3 | 35 | Faustine Aifuwa | United States |
LSU |
Trades and Roster Changes
| Date | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2021 | Hired Becky Hammon as head coach | |
| January 7, 2022 | Extended Qualifying Offers to A'ja Wilson and Ji-Su Park[3] | |
| January 15, 2022 | Renounced the rights to Clarissa dos Santos[4] | |
| February 2, 2022 | Re-Signed A'ja Wilson to a Two-Year Deal[5][6] | |
| February 3, 2022 | Re-Signed Kiah Stokes to a One-Year Deal[7] | |
| Re-Signed Riquna Williams to a Two-Year Deal[8] | ||
| February 15, 2022 | Signed Kalani Brown to a training-camp contract[9] | |
| February 24, 2022 | Hired Natalie Nakase as an Assistant coach[10] | |
| March 2, 2022 | Signed Sydney Colson to a training-camp contract[11] | |
| March 3, 2022 | Signed Theresa Plaisance to a training-camp contract[12] | |
| March 14, 2022 | Hired Tyler Marsh as an Assistant coach[13] | |
| April 8, 2022 | Waived Destiny Slocum[14] | |
| Hired Natalie Williams as General Manager[15] | ||
| April 10, 2022 | Traded a First and Second Round pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the #8 and #13 Picks in the 2022 WNBA draft[16] | |
| April 13, 2022 | Signed Kierstan Bell, Aisha Sheppard, Faustine Aifuwa, and Mya Hollingshed to rookie-scale contracts | |
| Signed Deja Winters to a training-camp contract[17] | ||
| April 16, 2022 | Signed Khayla Pointer to a rookie-scale contract | |
| Signed Nancy Mulkey to a training-camp contract[18] | ||
| Hired Charlene Thomas-Swinson as assistant coach[19] | ||
| April 18, 2022 | Waived Kalani Brown[20] | |
| April 19, 2022 | Waived Faustine Aifuwa and Deja Winters[21] | |
| May 2, 2022 | Waived Mya Hollingshed, Khayla Pointer, and Nancy Mulkey[22][23] | |
| May 3, 2022 | Signed Victoria Macaulay to a training-camp contract[24] | |
| May 5, 2022 | Waived Victoria Macaulay | |
| Temporarily Suspend Kiah Stokes due to Overseas Commitments | ||
| May 16, 2022 | Signed Jackie Young to a contract extension [25] | |
| May 17, 2022 | Activated Kiah Stokes from her Temporary Suspension | |
| May 23, 2022 | Signed Chelsea Gray to a Contract Extension[26] | |
| June 19, 2022 | Signed Iliana Rupert to a rookie-scale contract[27] | |
| June 29, 2022 | Signed Dearica Hamby to a Contract Extension[28] | |
| July 17, 2022 | Signed Kelsey Plum to a 2-Year Contract Extension[29] | |
Roster
| 2022 Las Vegas Aces roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth
Schedule
Preseason
| 2022 pre-season game log | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
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| 2022 pre-season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2022 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Phoenix Mercury Won Series: 2–0
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Second Round vs. Seattle Storm Won Series: 3–1
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Finals vs. Connecticut Sun Won Series: 3–1
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| 2022 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
| 8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Playoffs
| First round Best-of-3 | Semifinals Best-of-5 | Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle Storm | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas Wings | 1 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
Statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Plum | 36 | 36 | 32.8 | .460 | .420 | .839 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 20.2 |
| A'ja Wilson | 36 | 36 | 30.0 | .501 | .373 | .813 | 9.4 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 19.5 |
| Jackie Young | 34 | 34 | 33.2 | .476 | .431 | .859 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
| Chelsea Gray | 35 | 35 | 29.7 | .491 | .340 | .910 | 3.2 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 13.7 |
| Dearica Hamby | 34 | 32 | 26.5 | .466 | .219 | .720 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
| Riquna Williams | 21 | 0 | 18.0 | .381 | .366 | .762 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| Theresa Plaisance | 31 | 2 | 12.9 | .371 | .348 | .700 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.0 |
| Iliana Rupert≠ | 17 | 0 | 13.1 | .463 | .368 | .333 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| Kiah Stokes | 31 | 4 | 15.3 | .426 | .208 | .813 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| Sydney Colson | 18 | 0 | 6.8 | .313 | .273 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Aisha Sheppard | 23 | 0 | 7.6 | .238 | .273 | .750 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Kierstan Bell | 21 | 1 | 5.8 | .303 | .136 | 1.000 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Gray | 10 | 10 | 34.0 | .611 | .544 | .833 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 21.7 |
| A'ja Wilson | 10 | 10 | 37.2 | .552 | .143 | .791 | 10.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 20.3 |
| Kelsey Plum | 10 | 10 | 33.3 | .409 | .286 | .891 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 17.1 |
| Jackie Young | 10 | 10 | 34.5 | .432 | .474 | .926 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 12.5 |
| Riquna Williams | 10 | 0 | 20.3 | .348 | .358 | 1.00 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| Kiah Stokes | 10 | 10 | 25.9 | .486 | .200 | 1.00 | 7.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 3.7 |
| Kierstan Bell | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | .667 | .600 | 0.00 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Iliana Rupert | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | .313 | .357 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Theresa Plaisance | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | .400 | .333 | 0.00 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Dearica Hamby | 6 | 0 | 8.5 | .600 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Sydney Colson | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Aisha Sheppard | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A'ja Wilson | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 16 | [30] |
| May 31 | [31] | ||
| June 21 | [32] | ||
| July 25 | [33] | ||
| August 15 | [34] | ||
| Western Conference Player of the Month - May | June 1 | [35] | |
| Western Conference Player of the Month - July | August 2 | [36] | |
| WNBA All-Star Starter & Co-Captain | June 22 | [37] | |
| WNBA Defensive Player of the Year | August 30 | [38] | |
| All-Defensive First Team | [39] | ||
| WNBA MVP | September 7 | [40] | |
| All-WNBA First Team | September 15 | [41] | |
| Jackie Young | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 23 | [42] |
| WNBA All-Star Starter | June 22 | [37] | |
| WNBA Most Improved Player | August 29 | [43] | |
| Kelsey Plum | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 6 | [44] |
| August 1 | [45] | ||
| WNBA All-Star Starter | June 22 | [37] | |
| All-Star Game MVP | July 10 | [46] | |
| All-WNBA First Team | September 15 | [41] | |
| Dearica Hamby | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 28 | [47] |
| Chelsea Gray | Commissioner's Cup Final MVP | July 26 | |
| WNBA Finals MVP | September 18 | ||
| Becky Hammon | WNBA Coach of the Month - May | June 1 | [48] |
| WNBA Coach of the Year | August 26 | [49] |