When the WNBA Coach of the Year award was handed out, very few even gave a thought about Becky Hammon. But as the season concluded, the Las Vegas Aces’ head coach seems to be in high demand. Looking at her unique coaching abilities, Stephen A. Smith advocated for Hammon to coach an NBA side. Now, that’s quite a big compliment coming her way. However, much to Hammon’s pleasure, the compliments have continued to flow. And the latest addition to the list is Nalyssa Smith.
Smith had a wonderful time playing under the mentorship of Hammon. Surely, the Aces star evolved significantly this year with her on-court skills. And now, Smith pointed out one major difference between Hammon and other coaches.
Nalyssa Smith Heaps Praises On Becky Hammon
After looking down and out in the first half, it was Hammon’s brilliant tactics that led the Aces to achieve a miraculous turnaround. At one point, they were sitting at the bottom of the playoff standings. Surely, looking at all these stats, it is pretty clear that the tactical IQ of Hammon is pretty much beyond questioning. Add to that the fact that the Aces’ head coach is only the fourth one to win at least three WNBA championships. The other three are Van Chancellor, Cheryl Reeve, and Bill Laimbeer.
Speaking about how Hammon has been unique in her approach, Smith stated, “She [Becky Hammon] just has a great balance of knowing how to push her players and then just always motivating you and always telling you all the positive things. I think, sometimes, a lot of coaches, they forget that you have to have that balance, or you’ll lose your players. Becky does a tremendous job always just building everybody up regardless of the situation.”
Well, Hammon has all the reasons to get the limelight. Back in Game 1 of the finals, she switched to a zone defense, which messed up the Mercury’s tactics significantly. In Game 3, too, Hammon opted for a box-and-one on Kahleah Copper. This move later turned out to be genius as it completely took Mercury by surprise. Now then, as Hammon is getting all the praises, just like a true leader, she is not shying away from giving the credit to her team.
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Becky Hammon Gives Unique Analogy To Detail A’ja Wilson’s Phenomenal Run
The likes of Tom Brady have extended words of praise for Hammon. But for Hammon, the star of the show was none other than Wilson. The former South Carolina star dropped averages of 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. What was more interesting was the fact that the numbers kept increasing as Wilson went into the postseason. Meanwhile, after the Aces clinched the title, Hammon had some interesting notes to share about the Aces’ star player.
“I think the evolving of the game … these players are bigger, stronger, faster and more skilled. [Past] dynasties laid the groundwork and showed how winning should be done, and really gave a lot to the WNBA insofar as history. The skill set and level these guys are at, to me, it’s not comparable. … It’s a natural evolvement. That’s the sign of any great league; it doesn’t stay the same,” Hammon told ESPN.
Well, with the celebrations kicking in, one thing is for sure. The Las Vegas Aces now have everyone’s attention. It now remains to be seen what happens next.