The Las Vegas Aces have waived center Jessika Carter weeks after adding her to the roster. The team announced the move on June 30.
A second-round selection for the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA draft (No. 23 overall), Carter played her college ball at Mississippi State, where she put up 14.9 points, hauled in 9.9 rebounds and averaged 1.7 blocked shots in 32 games with the Bulldogs in her final year there.
Carter was released by the Liberty on May 11, and a little over a month later, on June 16, the Aces picked her up. She appeared in two games for Las Vegas, and played minimally, averaging just 2.0 minutes per contest.
A four-year starter at Mississippi State, it will be interesting to see if another team gives the 6-foot-5 Carter a look.
Will Aces Add Another Player to Roster After Cutting Jessika Carter?
It’s possible, although Las Vegas is currently loaded with talent in its starting lineup and bench rotation. Still, if there’s a player out there who catches head coach Becky Hammon‘s attention, Hammon will pounce.
The Aces added veteran point guard Tiffany Hayes on May 31, and Hayes has become a significant contributor since. In 10 games and two starts with the Aces, Hayes is averaging 8.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in over 22 minutes of action per contest.
“She’s a spark for us,” Aces starting guard Jackie Young said about Hayes, per the las Vegas Review-Journal.
“She can get downhill. She often rebounds for us, she plays good defense. So just having her come off the bench kind of changes the game for us and gives us a different look. And I mean, she can really score the ball. Whenever she comes in, we just start playing a little bit faster, and we’re able to get going in transition.”
Players such as Hayes, center Megan Gustafson and rookie guard Kate Martin have contributed in significant ways off the bench, but considering the Aces have one slot still available on their 12-person roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hammon and company fill it.
Aces Finding Their Groove in Recent Weeks
After starting the season at 5-5, the Aces have begun to gel of late. Las Vegas is currently 10-6 and have won four straight and five of their last six.
Much of that has to do with the return of starting point guard Chelsea Gray, who missed the early part of the season while recovering from a foot injury. An excellent facilitator and passer, Gray is still getting back to her old self on the court. She’s averaging 8.8 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the four games she has played this season, and she has the Aces looking more like the reigning two-time WNBA champs than they did earlier in the season.
“My buy-in factor on each one of these women has been high, and I think they respond to me well. I try to be very clear with what their job is, what the expectation is,” Hammon said, via Slam.
“Then, everybody is held to the same line in the sense of, you know, nobody is shooting it over two, three people. Play the right way, and everybody wins, and when we win, everything else takes care of itself.”
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