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Becky Hammon reveals Aces rookie is on track for 'greatness'
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- Becky Hammon reveals Aces rookie is on track for 'greatness'
Becky Hammon reveals Aces rookie is on track for 'greatness' originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Sometimes, the biggest losses eventually turn into the biggest wins.
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Last August, the Las Vegas Aces suffered a humiliating 111-58 loss to the Minnesota Lynx . The Aces had dropped to 14-14, and Vegas' playoff hopes -- let alone championship chances -- seemed to hang by a thread.
Just two months later, the Aces had won it all by completing a sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals. It marked Vegas' third title in four years, and yet another win for the franchise's strong culture and player development under head coach Becky Hammon.
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After a 111-71 loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday, Hammon found herself in an optimistic mood. Sure, the Aces had suffered a 40-point loss at Barclays Center, but that result had been conditioned by rest days for Chelsea Gray, A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young .
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With those three players back in the lineup on Tuesday, the Aces got back on track with an 86-76 win over the red-hot Washington Mystics . And Hammon got another look at rookie Ta'Niya Latson, whom she has described as being on track for "greatness."
Latson was the NCAA's leading scorer in 2024-25 as a member of the Florida State Seminoles. The talented shooting guard transferred to South Carolina to play under Dawn Staley in her final year of collegiate eligibility, and she struggled to fit in: her scoring average dropped from 25.2 points to 14.1 per game.
Latson's draft stock fell as well. She didn't come off the draft board until the Los Angeles Sparks took a chance on her with the 20th overall pick in April, and she was waived on July 6 after just 10 games.
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The Aces picked her up two days later, and in her third appearance for the team, she scored 20 points in that blowout loss to the Liberty. It was the first game in which she got "substantial time," Hammon told reporters, and the rookie guard's competitiveness and scoring touch made an impact.
"You know greatness is in there, it didn't go anywhere," Hammon said Tuesday. "We just want to bring it out in her and give her the opportunity to bring it out. ... To be able to come out and do that against a team like New York, in Brooklyn, the stage doesn't get a whole lot bigger than that."
Latson on Tuesday scored five points in 10 minutes against the Mystics, and on a fully-healthy Aces team, she's going to have to work to carve out a role.
However, Hammon is confident that she can -- and for a team in need of some cheap scoring punch following Chennedy Carter's departure, it could make all the difference as the Aces chase another title.
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