Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker (3) drives to the basket against New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones (35) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Thursday, June 29, 2023.
Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Becky Hammon knows there are challenges to making offensive adjustments without having "a 6-foot-5 point guard in the pocket."
It's not all bleak since the Aces lost center Candace Parker to foot surgery on July 24, with the Aces still sporting the best record in the WNBA. But Tuesday's 82-63 loss to the New York Liberty — and the 99-61 loss to the Liberty on Aug. 6 in Brooklyn — are evident signs the Aces miss their two-time MVP.
"Hugely," said Hammon when asked how much the Aces miss Parker in this particular matchup against the Liberty. "We'll figure out ways."
What Parker brings on the court has been documented before. The impact she creates offensively for A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young is important.
Record-wise, Parker's absence hasn't hurt. Not counting Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup loss because it doesn't impact the standings, the Aces have won 11 of their last 12 games without the 37-year-old two-time champion.
Offensively, it hasn't been an issue, either. The Aces have averaged 96 points over their last 12 games and are shooting 49% from the floor and almost 41% from 3-point range. If anything, the offensive output has actually been better without Parker.
But when the Aces don't have Parker against certain matchups — like the Liberty — it hurts.
The Aces have lost twice to the Liberty in a span of nine days, and will play again tonight in a rematch at Michelob Ultra Arena (7 p.m., Prime Video). In those losses, the Aces have been severely out-rebounded (48-24 on Aug. 6, 49-28 on Tuesday) and have allowed 23 offensive rebounds.
When the Aces beat the Liberty 98-81 on June 30, they were still out-rebounded 31-27, but they shot 58% and had 32 assists on 40 made field goals.
"We know they have a lot of size on the inside," Young said. "It’s up to us guards. We need to get on the boards a little more."
That's led Wilson to play more minutes at center. That wasn't a problem when the Aces won the championship, but the matchups were favorable. She could handle the matchups better against Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones when they were on separate teams last season.
Putting Stewart and Jones together is a nightmare for Wilson to tackle on her own. The Liberty have held Wilson to 4 of 24 shooting the last two meetings.
When Wilson can't get going, the onus is on Plum, Gray and Young to provide a spark. But those three combined to shoot 17 of 44 (38%) and 5 of 18 from 3-point range on Tuesday.
Hammon, Gray and Young felt there were plenty of good looks, but the shots weren't falling. Trying to get Wilson going with a short bench, though, is difficult. Forwards Kierstan Bell and Alysha Clark are the only constants coming off the bench.
Center Kiah Stokes, who is relied upon for her defense-first approach, has averaged 21.9 minutes in Parker's absence and attempting just three shots per game.
Though Parker is averaging a career-low 23.6 minutes, that rest for Wilson and moving her away from playing the small-ball center minutes is valuable.
"I ask a lot of our Big Four night in and night out. And when they’re not flowing or hitting, it gets tough," Hammon said. "We’re just going to have to keep it moving ... because the most important part of the season for us is coming up, and it’s only going to get harder."
For the time being, the Aces will need to rely more on their defense. That was the case in the second quarter Tuesday with the Liberty missing 13 of 14 shots in the final 7:42 and the Aces ending the half on a 17-4 run and taking the 34-32 lead.
The Aces couldn't capitalize on that momentum. They missed 20 of 32 shots in the second half.
There's still no timetable on Parker's return, as she remains out indefinitely. There's some optimism that she could return after six weeks, which would be the final week of the regular season.
The Aces have proven they can beat most teams without Parker, and do it convincingly. They've outscored opponents by an average of 15 points since Parker went down.
They signed Parker to compete for championships, though, and the likelihood of the Aces and Liberty meeting in the finals is great. If the Aces want to win back-to-back titles, they'll need Parker against the Liberty.
"That’s my job, to figure out ways to use Kiah better, to use AC better," Hammon said. "We’ll go back and see if we can’t find ways to make it easier on ourselves offensively."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
