The WNBA back-to-back champs Las Vegas Aces picked up right from where they left off by defeating the Phoenix Mercury 89-80 in their 2024 regular season opener. A’ja Wilson dominated the game with a double-double, 30 points, and 13 rebounds, to further stamp her authority as one of the best players in WNBA’s history. On ‘Inside the NBA’, while discussing the opening night slate, Draymond Green predicted that the Aces are going to win their third title in a row as they have the services of the 2x WNBA MVP.
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He made those comments when host Ernie Johnson Jr. touched upon the chants of a three-peat in Las Vegas as the home team was battling out against the revamped Mercury squad.
“They will definitely three-peat. They got the best player in the league, A’ja Wilson,” Draymond Green proclaimed.
While Green’s comments may appear bold, considering that the WNBA has just entered its initial days, they are grounded on solid reasoning. The LV Aces have the deepest roster in the league and have done a wonderful job surrounding the 2-time DPOY with elite shooters.
With the All-Star backcourt of Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, the team can employ an efficient fast-break and half-court game through Wilson’s incredible footwork around the rim. While Green hailed the present legend of the game, he also found Caitlin Clark’s Fever debut remarkable.
Caitlin Clark passes the eye test for Draymond Green
In her regular season debut, Clark realized the uptick in competition from the NCAA to the pros. The Fever suffered a daunting 72-91 loss against the Connecticut Sun, which has been one of the best teams in the league during the 2020s.
The smothering defense by Sun’s seasoned athletes limited Clark to 5/15 shooting and she committed 10 turnovers, which is among the highest in the WNBA’s history.
Despite these struggles, Draymond Green felt that Clark would live up to the hype around her. As the 6’1” PG has been dubbed as ‘slow’ for the WNBA competition, the Warriors forward posited that if she finds her shooting rhythm, her speed won’t be an issue,
“She shoots the ball so well that everybody talks about that everybody talks about how she is not fast enough. When you shoot the ball, it’s automatically going to make you faster because people have to press up and that gives you the extra half a step that you need to get by people.”
At any rate, the All-time leading NCAA scorer is learning the rigors of the WNBA early on in her career. It proves that the league knows how to adjust to newcomers and the veterans want to show the young players that they mean business. However, these lessons will only enable Clark to add novel moves to her game and continue her ascension.
