The 2025 season has been a big step down compared to recent seasons for the Aces. Between 2021 and 2024, the Aces never finished the regular season outside the top four in the standings. Most of those years, they were the uncontested favorites to win it all. Now, they have the seventh-best record and may even struggle to secure a playoff spot if they do not figure out how to string together some wins.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Sparks, who nabbed Kelsey Plum from the Aces in a massive three-team trade in the offseason, have been thriving lately. With a 101-99 win over the New York Liberty, the Sparks have officially entered the playoff race.
The additional playoff competition could spell disaster for the Aces. Not making the playoffs is the worst-case scenario for the Aces. A team featuring A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd should not miss the postseason, especially not if it doesn’t own its first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
The playoff race is very close
Halfway through the season, the top five in the standings seem to have been largely decided already. The Lynx, Liberty, Mercury, Dream, and Storm will likely occupy those spots in some order. The rest of the playoff standings are still wide open. The Fever, Mystics, Aces, Valkyries, and Sparks are all very close to each other and all have a reasonable chance to punch a ticket to the playoffs.
The Aces are not in the greatest position to win such a close race. They already lost the season series to the Indiana Fever. Las Vegas is also 1-1 against the Sparks and Valkyries with two games left against each team, and 1-2 against the Mystics with one game left.
The Valkyries just lost Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury. However, that does not mean that Golden State will drop out of the playoff race, and even if it does, Los Angeles is right there to take its spot. Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum, and Rickea Jackson have been on a tear lately, and Cameron Brink is nearing her return to the court.
From the looks of it, the Sparks are only going to win more games, while the Aces have some serious issues they cannot seem to figure out. Replacing Kia Stokes with NaLyssa Smith in the starting lineup has improved the team’s frontcourt production. However, the guard play and production from some veteran stars is still lacklustre at best. Outside of A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, the Aces haven’t gotten much consistent production from their big-time players. The transition from the Storm to the Aces was clearly not easy for Jewell Loyd. She is averaging career lows all across the board.