What's wrong with the Aces? Stats behind the 5-6 WNBA start - ESPN

The Las Vegas Aces have had six consecutive winning seasons, including two WNBA titles. But that's not the team we are seeing in 2025.

The Aces are 5-6, having lost four of their past five, and are tied for seventh place. They are ninth in the WNBA in scoring average, offensive and defensive rating and net rating.

Three-time MVP A'ja Wilson has missed the past three games in concussion protocol. Jewell Loyd, whom the Aces obtained in an offseason trade, is scoring 11.2 points per game, her lowest average since her 2015 rookie season. She has career-worst shooting percentages from the field (35.4) and the foul line (75.0).

Coach Becky Hammon said of the Aces' lack of consistency: «We're still searching for that 40-minute game. It's like a damn unicorn.»

Is Las Vegas just going through a rough stretch? Or is it something more that could affect its entire season? As Las Vegas prepares to host the Seattle Storm on Friday (10 p.m. ET, ION) and the Indiana Fever on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) and attempts to halt its losing ways, ESPN's Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews and Kevin Pelton examine some of the factors that could have played into this situation.

There are specific things the Aces aren't doing as well this season, and we will address those. But the current situation also warrants looking at the big picture. In professional sports, most teams' championship windows don't tend to last more than a few years due to salary caps, player movement and the infusion of younger talent via drafts.

There are a few exceptions, particularly in a league with a hard salary cap like the WNBA where franchises can get caught flat-footed by their own success. It's almost unavoidable. They spend to keep their core group in