PHOENIX — Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson has borne witness to the havoc Jewell Loyd can unleash on opponents. Just look back at the 2020 WNBA Finals in the COVID-19 bubble, where Loyd and the Seattle Storm swept Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in three games.
“I had a front row seat to a sweep in the bubble with Jewel (Loyd) with Gold Kobes on,” Wilson recalled after dropping 34 points, including the game-winner, in the Aces’ Game 3 win over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals on Wednesday. “I’m grateful that she’s now with us for sure. … I’m glad she got her A’Ones now.”
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Anyone would be grateful to have a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time All-Star as a teammate. But the Aces have the luxury of having Loyd come off the bench, which was a perceived weakness for the Aces in recent years. Leading the second unit has been an adjustment for Loyd amid a rollercoaster season, but she is finding her rhythm at just the right moment.
“I know my role really well,” said Loyd, who improved to 9-0 in the WNBA Finals after recording 16 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday. She’s now one step closer to claiming her third WNBA title as the Aces have an opportunity to close out the best-of-seven championship series against the Mercury in Game 4 on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“To be able to play alongside Jewel and to see her work, it is truly magical,” Wilson added. “Her record in the Finals, it shows the work that she’s put in.”
Loyd’s role on the Aces has evolved throughout the course of the season.
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Las Vegas acquired Loyd from the Storm in a three-time trade that sent Kelsey Plum, the Aces’ second-leading scorer last season, to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces inserted Loyd into the starting lineup alongside the Big 3 of Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray in hopes that the veteran guard could fill the void left by Plum. But Loyd’s struggled to find her form early and averaged 10.7 points per game at the WNBA All-Star break in July, a far cry from the when she led the league in scoring in 2023 with 24.7 points per game.
“The confidence has always been there. I just get annoyed missing shots, because I know I want to help my team,” Loyd said back in June. “You want to see the ball go into the basket. My preparation has been the same. My teammates still believe in me. My coach, fans, everyone is encouraging me all the way through.”
Aces coach Becky Hammon never lost faith on Loyd. After making 25 starts, Hammon made the decision to have Loyd come off the bench, a move that Loyd not only agreed with, but benefited from. The Aces’ depth led Hammon to declare that the Aces “have the best overall bench that we’ve since I’ve been here.”
The Aces’ bench has backed Hammon’s declaration with 41 points in their Game 1, with 21 coming from Dana Evans and 18 from Loyd. Loyd knocked down three 3-pointers in Game 2, her 32nd birthday.
Game 2: The Las Vegas Aces’ Jewell Loyd (24) and A’ja Wilson (22) celebrate after scoring against the Phoenix Mercury.
Hammon subbed in Loyd for Kierstan Bell like clockwork around the seven-minute mark of the first quarter of Game 3 Wednesday, just as she did in Game 1 and 2 of the WNBA Finals. Loyd responded by dropping 12 points in seven minutes, setting a WNBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers (4) scored in the first quarter.
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“A lot of it’s just our pace. We’re going up and down really quickly. Run the corners,” Loyd said. “For me just being active is very key and I kind of get going from my defense and let everything else kind of go from there. But when the ball has energy and moves around really hard to guard.”
Hammon called Loyd and Evans the Aces’ “kiss of death.”
“One thing that I’ve really grown to appreciate about Jewell (Loyd) is she’s super easy to coach, just wants to do whatever it takes to win,” said Hammon, who noted Loyd is the perfect weapon off the bench to contrast the Ace’s “top heavy roster.”
“You think you’re doing a good job on Jackie (Young) and (A’ja Wilson) and then all of a sudden you’ve got this next wave and (Loyd is) a big part of that. We know what she’s capable of. We want to get her as many shots. I wish she would’ve shot more.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jewell Loyd is Las Vegas Aces’ ‘kiss of death’ off the bench
