The Las Vegas Aces may be one of the best teams in the WNBA in 2024, but over the past few games, they have looked anything but. A'ja Wilson has been putting up MVP numbers on a nightly basis, but the Aces haven't quite hit their stride yet this season amid their bid for a three-peat. Following their 100-86 loss to the surging Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night, the Aces have now lost three straight games to fall to a mediocre 5-5 on the season.

Over the past two seasons, the Aces have established themselves as the cream of the crop in the association. Their two championships alone mean that they are the team that everyone is gunning for, hence the added motivation from each and every one of their opponents. Being the hunted is very difficult, but for Wilson, the two-time MVP, there is no reason for the Aces to lose the plot despite going through a rough stretch.

“It's not going to get easier. It has never been easy for us. We're going to continue to be us, continue to grind it out,” Wilson said, via ESPN. “This is a long, long, long season. I'm not going to press the panic button. I'm still going to bet on us. I know exactly what's in that locker room.”

Indeed, champions get it together, especially when the going gets rough. The Aces roster is filled with players who have won at the highest level, and led by A'ja Wilson, they will have the advantage of having the best player on the court every night.

The teams the Aces lost to during their current 1-4 stretch are no slouches anyway; the Lynx have the best record in the conference, the Seattle Storm are right behind the Lynx, while the Atlanta Dream have been grinding out some wins as well. The defeat against the Los Angeles Sparks, however, may be a bit inexcusable.

They may not have lost three straight games in five years. It's a testament to how the Aces have developed into the WNBA's team to beat. But they figured it out in the past, and there's no reason to expect that they won't do it again this year, especially given the talent they have on the roster.

A'ja Wilson is putting the Aces on her back

The Aces may be struggling, but it's through no fault of A'ja Wilson. Wilson has been playing exceptionally well, putting up impressive stat lines on a nightly basis even though it hasn't quite translated to the win column for them as of late.

On the season, Wilson is averaging 28.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks — all career-highs. If the Aces were playing better, she would be the unquestioned frontrunner for this year's MVP award. In fact, even in the Aces' past five games, Wilson has been phenomenal. She averaged 30.4 points, 9.6 boards, and 2.8 blocks a night even though Las Vegas has gone 1-4 during that span.

Simply put, the rest of the Aces roster has to be much better in giving A'ja Wilson the support she needs. Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, both of whom are going to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in women's 5-on-5, have been struggling over their past five games.

Plum's jumpshot has been off; she has shot 31.3 percent from deep over the Aces' 1-4 stretch, and 35.7 percent from the field overall — efficiency numbers that simply won't cut it. Meanwhile, Young has struggled even more than Plum has. Young shot 28.6 percent from the field during that stretch, and she even missed one game during that span due to an illness.

Those two backcourt stars have to live up to their reputation as some of the best the WNBA has to offer. A'ja Wilson has been as steady as a rock, but one woman alone isn't enough to spur a team to great heights especially when the talent pool in the league has only gotten better.

Las Vegas is missing Chelsea Gray

During the Aces' dominance over the past two seasons, Chelsea Gray has arguably been their second most-important player behind A'ja Wilson. Gray, in addition to being one of the best defenders in the association, has also emerged as a top-tier playmaker. She averaged 7.3 dimes last season — a career-high — which allowed Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young to feast on open looks.

Gray, however, has been absent for all of the 2024 season to this point. She has been dealing with the foot injury that kept her out of the Aces' series-clinching Game 4 victory during the 2023 WNBA Finals, and the Aces have been very cautious when it comes to bringing her back. The good news is that Gray is confident that she will return later this season, although Las Vegas is hoping that it's not yet too late for them when she graces the hardwood once more.