When NaLyssa Smith was in second grade, she faced her first basketball challenge. A boy on the playground dared her to play one-on-one. The problem? She was wearing a dress. So what did she do? She grabbed scissors, cut her dress into makeshift shorts, and a T-shirt. By the end, she had completely outscored and outplayed him. “She killed him — outscored him, outplayed him,” her mom, Nikki Smith, recalled with a laugh. That moment was the essence of who Smith is. Test her. Doubt her. Challenge her. She’ll find a way, every single time.

And maybe that’s the exact kind of challenge Caitlin Clark’s Indiana didn’t realize they’d be facing in a do-or-die playoff game when they decided to trade her.

A standout at Baylor, NaLyssa Smith entered the WNBA as the Indiana Fever’s second overall pick in 2022. She wasted no time proving herself, earning All-Rookie honors, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, and looking every bit like a cornerstone for the Fever’s future. But as the team shuffled through coaching changes and roster moves, her minutes and role began to shrink. This past February, Smith was dealt to Dallas, but the Wings never quite unlocked her potential.

Then came June, when the Las Vegas Aces swooped in, sending a 2027 first-round draft pick to Dallas in exchange for her. The trade caught Smith off guard, but she was grateful. Well, so is Vegas now. She wasted no time making her mark in the desert, earning a starting role and recording a double-double in just her second game with the Aces. Since then, she’s added two more. For context, in Dallas, she averaged 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds a night. With Vegas, those numbers have climbed to 7.6 points and 5.1 boards, all in just a couple more minutes on the floor.

But the stats don’t tell the whole story. What’s really stood out is the impact she’s had when it matters most: the postseason.

Averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, she has had 3 double-digit games. But it was probably Game 3 that proved that if Indy must look out for someone as they head into Game 4, it’s Lyss. Exactly what WNBA reporter Noa Dalzell highlighted on “WNBA Today on CLNS.” She discussed how Smith was the player who stood out the most as Aces’ deferent Fever on their home turf.

“Smith, who ironically was wearing an Indiana Fever uniform just a year ago and was a shell of herself. And many people wondered if her, you know, WNBA career was kind of fading. And here she is in this game and in such an important the most important game of her WNBA playoff career. 16 points, four blocks. I would say the four blocks don’t even capture NaLyssa Smith’s impact. She was really, really enormous,” she said. 

She was literally everywhere. And it mattered more because it shattered the notion that Vegas relies solely on A’ja Wilson. Even on an off night for the MVP, the Aces pulled off an 84-72 win behind Jackie Young’s 25 points and Smith’s standout performance.

“And early on when Asia Wilson can’t find a rhythm, she [Smith] she was able to find one. And it was actually critical. All of her points were critical in first quarters,” Dalzell said. Smith led all the scorers in the first quarter and was 8-13 the entire game, while A’ja Wilson started 1 of 6 and went 6-of-20 shooting, scoring 13 points.

The reporter also noted that much of her impact doesn’t even show up on the stat sheet. Probably the key is how she takes pressure off Wilson. It’s the kind of versatility the Aces needed, and Smith has found herself in the right place to deliver. Her presence and defense alone are enough to give Indiana reason to worry, especially when both teams are defensively leaky.

Now, in case you’re wondering what exactly has led to Smith’s growth in Las Vegas, it could be her relationship with Wilson and Becky Hammon’s support.

Vegas believes in NaLyssa Smith

It was Game 2, and Las Vegas was reeling after dropping Game 1 to Indiana and needed a win before the series shifted to the Hoosier State. Then came Becky Hammon’s tough choice: NaLyssa Smith had already picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter. At least, that’s what everyone thought would force her out.

Turns out, Hammon had other plans. “I left her in because I needed to play her,” Hammon explained. “I got on her. And I don’t like to get on players and then not give them a chance to get it right. She made a mistake and you all probably saw me pull her over there, then let her go back to work. Smith responded immediately. After picking up her third foul with 8:18 left and her fourth with 7:27, she went on a five-point run, quelling a Fever rally and pushing the score to 59-44 with a three-point play at 5:05.

She finished the night with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. “It just shows the level of trust she has for me to go out there and play without fouling,” Smith said. “When she kept me in the game, mentally I was like, ‘OK, I have to lock in so I don’t get another foul.’” That trust has defined Smith’s journey in Vegas: belief, opportunity, and letting talent speak on the hardwood.

A huge part of her growth comes from her relationship with Wilson, who’s known for mentoring players. During the preseason, a viral video showed Wilson giving Smith tips midgame, even though they were on opposing teams at the time. Now, they’re on the same team, and Smith can step up whenever Wilson has an off night.

So, all in all, we saw in Game 2, the Aces can thrive even without Wilson’s big contribution. And as WNBA reporter Noa Dalzell put it, “It is a really good sign for them moving forward.” For Caitlin Clark and the Fever, that’s exactly the kind of nightmare they didn’t want to see.