Trust is the name of the game for the Aces early in the season
May 13, 2026; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (32) and center A'ja Wilson (22) react during a break against the Connecticut Sun in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. If there is a word that has been bandied around more often than any other by the Las Vegas Aces early this season, it has been trust. A’ja Wilson said that the Aces needed to regain it with one another after a disappointing loss in the season opener against the Phoenix Mercury.
Head coach Becky Hammon has brought it up after both games against the Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks. It was visible in spurts across the two exhibition games and two regular season games, but it had yet to be consistent across all 40 minutes. A back-to-back followed by an elongated road trip complicated matters, but Hammon saw opportunity where others saw strife.
“I kind of like early road trips at this point because you kind of get in that foxhole early with each other,” said Hammon. “No distractions. Lots of times at home, you have distractions, family members and whatnot.
It’s kind of nice because it’s just us. Against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, the trust was no longer taking a backseat, but was front and center out of necessity. Wilson found herself in foul trouble in the early going, playing only nine minutes of the first half after picking up three personal fouls.
When the four-time MVP had to miss games due to injury last season, it pushed the Aces frontcourt too thin and often resulted in struggles to establish themselves in the paint. A kiss of death, however, was not in the cards this time around. Where the Aces have relied on Wilson to handle the heavy lifting in the past, Wednesday’s game against the Sun saw the script flip on the superstar.
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