When you think of the Las Vegas Aces, A'ja Wilson comes to mind first. Some may even think of All-Star guard Kelsey Plum or even veteran star Chelsea Gray. But one underrated piece for the Aces is Jackie Young, who will be Las Vegas' X-factor in their WNBA Finals clash against the New York Liberty.

After winning their first WNBA championship in 2022, the Aces are hungry to bring another crown to Las Vegas. The Aces didn't seem to break a sweat en route to the WNBA Finals as they steamrolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They took out the Chicago Sky in two games and won by a combined 50 points, then swept the No. 4 seed Dallas Wings in the semi-finals. The only team standing in their way of a second straight title is the New York Liberty, who formed their own super team this past offseason.

Expect the usual suspects for Las Vegas to go to work in the Finals. A'ja Wilson should continue her dominance in the playoffs, where she is averaging 25.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game, while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field. Chelsea Gray isn't having the same kind of monster postseason she had a year ago, but she is still averaging 16.0 points and 6.4 assists on 45.1 percent shooting. Kelsey Plum's overall efficiency from the field has also gone down in the playoffs, but she is still knocking down 42.1 percent of her shots from three.

Those three should continue to play huge roles for the Aces in the championship round — and so should their X-factor Jackie Young. Young has been somewhat an overlooked piece for this Vegas squad that carries a ton of star power in Wilson, Gray, and Plum. Nonetheless, Young will be an important piece in the Aces' quest for back-to-back crowns.

Jackie Young: The Las Vegas Aces' X-factor in the WNBA Finals

While A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum get much of the spotlight, Jackie Young has flown a bit under the radar for the Aces. Yet, Young has become somewhat the glue this Aces team needs, especially during their title defense this season.

Wilson is obviously the anchor that drives this franchise with her elite two-way play. Plum is the spark that provides more firepower to the best offense in the WNBA. Gray is the floor general who settles things down. Finally, Young is the glue that puts all the pieces together.

Young earned her second All-Star selection this past season with averages of 17.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting over 52 percent from the field. Her 44.9 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc ranked second in the entire WNBA.

As efficient as she was in the regular season, that has taken a massive hit in the playoffs. Young is shooting just 34.9 percent from the field in five games so far. But she has maintained her efficiency from beyond the arc at 41.4 percent. Nonetheless, Young has been elite from the freethrow line, where she has made all but one of her 21 attempts from the charity stripe throughout the playoffs.

She is still putting up points on the board. But Young has found other ways to contribute by crashing the glass, becoming the team's secondary playmaker behind Gray, and playing great defense on the other end of the floor. Apart from her 15.2 points per game, the 26-year-old is also averaging 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and a team-leading 1.8 steals through five outings.

Young's primary value to the Aces during the regular season was her efficient scoring. But with her shot going sour in the playoffs, the 6-foot guard has become an all-around contributor for Vegas. If she continues her all-around production, the Aces are in good shape to repeat as WNBA champions.