A’ja Wilson adds another honor ahead of Tuesday matinee

Aces forward A’ja Wilson on Monday was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week.

Again.

Wilson last week won the honor for averaging 24 points and 6.5 rebounds in games against the Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings. She followed by logging 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in games against the Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever, against whom she scored a career-high 39 points in a 102-97 victory.

Wilson and the Aces continue their three-game homestand with a Tuesday matinee against the Chicago Sky.

Here are three things to watch as they look to extend their lead in the Western Conference standings.

1. Dearica Hamby

The 25-year-old combo forward continued her breakout campaign Saturday with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Fever. She’s averaging 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 19.4 minutes per game, and is shooting a team-high 55.4 percent from the field.

Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer said this year that Hamby is the ideal sixth woman on a championship caliber team, and she’s proving to be just that as one of the best bench players in the WNBA.

At 6-foot-3, she’s a versatile defender who can guard in the post and help on the perimeter. She scored a career-high 27 earlier this year, and has three double-doubles to her name as perhaps the team’s most reliable player.

2. Kelsey Plum

The third-year guard is mired in the worst shooting slump of her career and is averaging 7.0 points on 33.7 percent shooting — including 33 percent from 3-point range. She had 21 points on June 16 in a win over the Minnesota Lynx but has since scored nine points in five games on 3-of-32 shooting.

The former No. 1 overall pick shot 43.9 percent from 3-point range last season and shoots 39 percent in her career.

She’s in line to shake her struggles — at some point — and will unlock some of the team’s halfcourt offensive potential if and when she does.

3. Sharing the wealth

Las Vegas has had its fair share of struggles on the offensive end of the floor this season. Ball movement isn’t one of them.

Not statistically.

Las Vegas assists on 69.8 percent of its makes — tops in the WNBA — and assisted 31 of 38 field goals against the Fever on Saturday.

Jackie Young had 10 assists, Kayla McBride had six and Wilson and Plum added five apiece.

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Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.