The numbers agree: Gray making big impact on Aces since return

Midway through their postgame press conference Tuesday, Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson were asked a question that the Aces have been answering since the season began:

“Can you talk about how Chelsea impacts this team?”

The Aces (11-6) had just defeated the Indiana Fever for a fifth straight victory — a streak that began when Chelsea Gray made her season debut against the Seattle Storm on June 19. She missed the team’s first 12 games because of a lower left leg injury, coaching from the sidelines through a rocky 6-6 start.

The Aces go for their sixth straight win when they host the Washington Mystics (5-15) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Outside of the morale boost Wilson has said Gray brings to the court, the point guard is making a difference on both sides of the ball. Since her return, all of the team’s wins have been by double digits. After giving up 90 or more points in the four games before Gray’s comeback, the Aces haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 83.

On Tuesday, Plum and Wilson combined for 62 of the Aces’ 88 points. Although Gray had only four points and four assists on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes, Plum made it clear that the presence of the “Point Gawd” was pivotal.

“I think I’ve said it a lot, but Chelsea, because of who she is, she has this gravitational pull,” Plum said. “So everyone’s spacing is better. Everyone has a little bit more freedom of movement, and then you’re able to be more efficient in space. She kind of puts everyone back in their rightful position.

“Even if she’s not necessarily gonna take the shots, Chelsea’s just someone that commands that respect.”

It’s not hard to see the increased efficiency Plum mentioned as a result of the defensive attention Gray draws. Here are a few statistical examples:

— In Gray’s 106 minutes this season, the Aces have outscored their opponents by 56 points.

— The Aces have a WNBA-leading point differential of 12.8 against their opponents in the past five games. That number was 1.2 in the first 12 games without Gray (No. 5 in the league).

— The Aces lead the league in team field goal percentage (49.1 percent) since Gray’s return.

— The Aces have connected on 39.34 percent of their 3-point attempts when Gray is playing. They are less successful from 3 when she’s on the sideline (32.89).

— The Aces score on 50.5 percent of their 2-point attempts without Gray. When she’s on the court, they’ve had a 55.56 percent completion rate.

When defensive attention is concentrated on Plum and Wilson, as it was during the Saturday’s 88-77 road win over the Mystics, Gray can still explode on the scoreboard.

She recorded 22 points (8-for-9 from the field, 3-for-3 on 3-pointers) while Wilson and Plum were held to 11 and two points, respectively. Jackie Young led the Aces in scoring that game with 26 points.

Plum and Young were tasked with leading the offense in Gray’s absence, and they’re able to score more effectively now that she’s back. Young’s 3-point percentage in minutes without Gray is 27.27 percent. With Gray on the court, Young has connected on 50 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.

Similarly, Plum has connected on 42.27 percent of her 2-point field goals without Gray. With her, Plum is good for 62.5 percent of those attempts.

“We know that when Chelsea comes back, everyone kind of gets into their flow, and that’s what you’re seeing now,” Plum said Tuesday. “Even though she didn’t play as many minutes tonight, or maybe didn’t even shoot great.”

The defensive stride the Aces have hit seems to be a product of Gray’s presence as well.

Maybe it’s due to what Aces coach Becky Hammon calls Gray’s elite basketball IQ, or the “flow” Plum mentioned, but the Aces’ defensive rating has improved since Gray’s return. The team allows 104.24 points per 100 possessions in minutes without Gray. With her, that number goes down to 88.94.

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.