Las Vegas Aces’ ‘crown is getting heavier’ in disappointing opening loss to Mercury

Hammon was especially displeased with the lack of ball pressure, as the Aces allowed the Mercury to comfortably get into their offense without meeting any resistance.

“We’re giving 80 percent of the court for free before we touch anybody,” Hammon said. “It’s like trying to stop an intruder to get to your refrigerator, and they’re already in your kitchen. You got to meet them outside the white picket fence and start defending from there.

“We’re giving 75 to 80 percent of the floor for free and thinking we can defend that last 20 percent. It doesn’t work that way.”

Phoenix had four turnovers through the first three quarters, and at least one was a bad pass that had nothing to do with Las Vegas’ defense.

Last season, when the Aces struggled, the coaching staff put the onus on the players to create the scouting reports and take more ownership of game plans. The players do not have those responsibilities for the 2026 campaign, and they would rather not add that burden.

No one on Las Vegas expected to come out Saturday looking like a championship team. Two and a half weeks of training camp isn’t enough to create championship habits or the discipline necessary to win a title. It will take some time to build into the team the Aces are capable of becoming.

But they also didn’t expect to be outclassed. No matter the emotion of the day with the ring ceremony to celebrate their 2025 title or the opponent, the champions should have been better in their own principles and their own standards, which start on defense. The Aces have too much talent and too much continuity, even with the six months off, to look this disengaged, even if it is one game into the season.

The pregame festivities were a reminder of what is at stake for Las Vegas this year. Opponents will come at them trying to take down the champs, and that requires a level of focus the Aces failed to meet Saturday. They can’t expect to course correct later in the season when the target is on their backs from the beginning.

“The hand is getting heavy,” Wilson said after getting her third ring, “but the crown is getting heavier. We gotta continue to make sure that it doesn’t fall off of our heads.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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