Jewell Loyd made her debut with the Las Vegas Aces last weekend, but it was not without its struggles. In a lopsided loss, she posted five points on 2-of-10 shooting. Aces head coach Willie Flowers responded to that stumble with a message of reassurance to Loyd:
“I’m not worried about you,” he texted her that night.
A Comeback Performance
Just one game later, Loyd made her first big shot with the Aces in their home opener against the Washington Mystics. With seconds left on the clock, she hit a 3-pointer from the corner after a set-up from teammate A’ja Wilson.
The Aces trailed by nine points entering the fourth quarter and were down by that much again with just over three minutes left in the game. However, they managed to mount a comeback effort led by Jackie Young’s strong performance. Young finished with 25 points on 7-for-15 shooting and added five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Loyd’s big shot came after she had gone 1-for-8 from the field for most of the game. According to Loyd, her teammates encouraged her to stay aggressive throughout, even right before they took the court together again.
“Yeah,” she said during post-game comments, “they told me I was going up next.”
Impact of Off-Season Trades
The win marked an important moment for both teams involved in this matchup, especially considering the massive trades during the past off-season. Notable moves included Kelsey Plum moving to the LA Sparks while multiple top draft picks returned to Seattle, where the rebuilding process continues.
In post-game comments, teammates praised each other’s efforts, which ultimately led to their victory over the Mystics. However, more analysis is needed regarding the full impact these trades will have on future seasons.
Jackie Young stated:
“We knew we had it in us all along.”
A’ja Wilson added:
“We just kept pushing through.”
And as for Coach Flowers? He simply said:
“I love my team.”
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