After being worn down by the end of the season last year, it only made sense for the Aces to come in hungry. Or as Chelsea Gray put it, starvation mode. A good off-season trade, established veterans, and a few young picks– it was looking all good in Sin City. But the very consistency Becky Hammon vouches for, the Aces haven’t been able to ride on. Yeah, barring A’ja Wilson, though; she is torching the hardwood every night. So, is the franchise doing enough for the ‘another championship’ dream they came in with?

Record-wise, the Aces are doing just enough to stay in playoff contention. They are clinging to the 6th spot with a .548 winning percentage. Needless to say, much of their success rests on Wilson’s shoulders. She is putting together a career-defining campaign, with five 30-point performances so far and a solid 6-game streak of a 20-piece in June. But she isn’t just showing up offensively. The 3x MVP is also leading in rebounds, steals, and blocks.

So, as the numbers suggest, it has been a solo effort more often than not. With Cheyenne Parker-Tyus still out, Jewell Loyd’s offensive prowess not translating as expected, and the defense not doing any favors, the trade period was surprisingly quiet. That’s what Alicia Jay on We Need to Talk podcast doesn’t get either.

“Wilson is having another MVP season in a lot of ways. She’s definitely carrying the team… And so I would have loved to see them do something,” she said. By something, she meant adequate roster moves to support their ace. The TV personality argued that Wilson’s brilliance is being wasted without proper reinforcements. Coach Hammon and President Nikki Fargas, though, don’t believe so.

Given their moments of brilliance, like the 101-77 win over Golden State, or 90-86 over Seattle, the front office believes they have ‘enough’ to keep pushing. “I’ve seen them play at a really elite level,”,” the HC says. Well, they are now on a 3-game winning streak, but we have seen promising stretches nose-dive before. This streak is, in fact, the best the Aces have held onto so far in the season. The next games against Connecticut and the Liberty could make a case for the team, but you can’t deny the lapses.

Loyd is averaging a career-low 11.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.0 SPG coming off the bench. The defense has them giving up 36.8 points per game in the paint– that’s 5th most. So Jay isn’t shying away from calling out the state of the team. “You gotta give her some help man, you gotta do something,” she added.

Reports have it that the Aces had an opportunity to trade for Brittney Sykes, but did not go through. Jay’s words carry weight, and Wilson’s game backs them up.

Insider dismissed Hammon’s comments as A’ja Wilson carries her team

Wilson leads the Aces in points (21.8), rebounds (9.2), steals (1.6), and blocks (2.2) per game, showcasing her all-around dominance on the court. In 20 of the team’s 31 games this season, the 6’4” star has been their top scorer, underscoring just how vital she is to Las Vegas’ success. “You [Aces] got to do something… that was the top team for me where I was like, ‘Hold on, are we going to do something or no?’ And it was not,” she said. But Jay wasn’t done as she pointed fingers at multiple decisions of the Aces’ front office, too.

This was a sign that Aces need new people in their roster. But the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces chose to do the opposite. According to Jay, Hammon is settling for less while she could have built a dominant team centering around Wilson. “I understand that Becky Hammon has full faith in this team still, and as a coach, you have to say that,” Jay said on the show, refering to the HC’s ‘elite’ remarks.

Taking shots at her, Jay claimed, “It’s hard to hear a little bit when you look at what the team is doing in reality.” Her questions are a valid ask. Despite A’ja Wilson’s standout performance, the Aces are only on the brink of making it to the playoffs. They are sitting in sixth position out of eight teams to go through. Wilson is the only player on the Aces roster averaging 20+ points this season. Apart from her, only three other players have averaged over 10 points per game.

So Wilson needs support from her team, but this Aces roster looks locked for the rest of the season. Will they make a championship run with the current roster? Only time will tell.