Have you ever thought about having a regular conversation with a WNBA player? Say, over coffee or just hanging out at backyard barbecue? That’s the kind of vibe I’m aiming for with And One — a new regular series for Just Women’s Sports involving 10 questions with a WNBA player. I ask about basketball things, of course, but also about their lives off the court so you can get to know the athletes of the WNBA a little bit better.

When I first connected with Jackie Young for the inaugural edition of And One, she was calling from the Las Vegas Aces team bus. The team was heading from the airport to a hotel in the midst of a WNBA whirlwind travel day, and the background chatter was boisterous and loud. A’ja Wilson’s signature laugh stood out from the rest. Young laughed in amusement — we could barely hear each other — before calmly finding a different seat, closer to the front of the bus and away from the merriment.

I couldn’t help but think how such a simple move actually mirrored Young’s basketball game: calmly and confidently finding an open space to take a shot, and nailing it seamlessly.

In Young’s first WNBA season, after she went No. 1 overall to the Aces in the 2019 draft, she averaged 22 minutes and six points per game. Over the course of her four-year career, Young’s game has evolved in every facet. She has developed a deadly midrange jumper, improved her shot and extended her range. But perhaps the biggest evolution has been Young’s on-court confidence.

This season, under first-year head coach (and longtime NBA assistant for the San Antonio Spurs) Becky Hammon, Young has emerged as one of the top players in the WNBA. Though sidelined recently with an ankle injury, she’s averaging 32 minutes and 19.2 points per game on 54 percent shooting (45.7 percent from 3), making her a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player and even league MVP.

We talked about all of this and more in the first And One.

1. Why does Becky Hammon’s run-and-gun system fit this team so well?

I think we just have a lot of talented players on offense, so everybody’s pretty unselfish. Since training camp started, we knew what she wanted from us, and that’s just being unselfish, making the extra pass, making the right play. So, I think that’s why it’s been fun to play for her and it’s been fun for fans to watch.

2. How have you individually been able to thrive under Hammon?

I’ve just been able to play my game, be confident, be aggressive and just take the open shots. I think it extended my range out to the 3 and actually taking the wide open ones that I’m getting. I think that’s the biggest thing — just make sure I’m taking the shot.

3. You have consistently improved in every statistical category as a player since you entered the league. What have you worked on specifically over the past few years to make your game better?

A lot. When I first got into the league, it was developing a midrange game. I’ve been able to get to the basket my whole life, but when I got into the league I was like, OK, there’s people that are 6-8 here and they’re big defenders, good defenders. So, I had to just expand [my game], and with Bill [Laimbeer]’s offense, a midrange game suited me and us, really. I developed that my second and third year. Going into my fourth year, I knew I needed to work on my 3. I knew, to become the player I wanted to be, I had to have a 3 ball. I’ve spent a lot of time working on that and working on myself so I’d be confident to shoot whenever I did get it.

4. How has your confidence grown?

Just doing a lot of work. My teammates always had faith and confidence in me. I just had to have the same trust in myself, just working on myself off the court. Still putting in a lot of work on the court, but just making sure I was good mentally was the biggest thing. Once I saw my mindset change, I was just thinking better, feeling better, and I started playing better.

5. This Aces team always looks as though it’s having fun out there. How has team chemistry impacted that?

Yeah, I mean, it’s so much fun. I think it shows. We’re all friends on and off the court. I think that’s what makes us so good when we do step on the court. I think it’s just making sure that there’s a balance. When we come to work, we know we have to get the job done. But at the same time, we’re gonna be joking around and stuff whenever the time fits.

6. What’s something WNBA fans would be surprised to learn about you?

I have a street named after me back home in Princeton, Indiana — Jackie Young Way. That happened when I was in high school, I want to say. It’s the street turning into the high school.

7. What’s your favorite non-basketball thing to do?

Honestly, I just like to hang out with my friends and family. Just chill and honestly, watch basketball (laughs). Or go shopping.

8. If you weren’t a professional basketball player, what would you be doing?

Ooooh. I mean, I was a high jumper in high school for a little bit. I ran track. So, I probably could be doing that or, I don’t know. Maybe I should have tried tennis? I love watching tennis.

9. What’s your go-to pregame warm up song?

I don’t really have any. We have music in the locker room, but I don’t really have my headphones in. I just like to get ready for the game, watching film and reading the scout [report]. Stuff like that to get my mind right.

10. Who’s the biggest jokester on the Aces and why?

Probably Sydney Colson. I feel like she’s just always saying something funny, almost at the wrong time so that it just, like, really stands out, you know? Her Instagram is pretty funny.

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA and college basketball. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

Nearly two and a half weeks into the WNBA season, we are getting more clarity on the makeup of the league. Key players returned to their teams in the past week, like Kayla McBride to Minnesota and Kahleah Copper to Chicago, giving us a better understanding of how those sides will look closer to 100 percent.

We’re also seeing a clearer separation between the consistent rosters — Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky — and the organizations that are still figuring out their team dynamics — Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury.

Here are my biggest takeaways from the past week of WNBA action.

Jackie Young is playing like an MVP and MIP

I have always considered Jackie Young to be the X-factor for the Aces with the way she can impact the game offensively and defensively. Young is playing the best and most efficient basketball of her career so far this season, leading the 7-1 Aces in scoring and sitting third in the league with 19.3 points per game.

The 6-foot guard, with her quiet demeanor, often flies under the radar on a flashy Las Vegas team, and what she does on the floor does not always show up on the stat sheet. But when you look at the numbers, Young has cemented herself as a focal point of an offense that’s thriving under first-year head coach Becky Hammon.

One of the biggest differences with Young’s play in her fourth WNBA season is her production from beyond the 3-point line. Prior to this year, her offensive game centered on getting into the paint and creating shots closer to the rim. She averaged under one 3-point attempt a game a year ago. Now, she’s showing off an expanded skill set and a scorer’s mentality, with the confidence to be a major threat from the perimeter.

2021 vs. 2022 Stats

Scoring: 12.2 — 19.3
3-point %: 25 — 50.0
3-point attempts: 0.6 — 3.0
FG %: 50.5 — 56.4
Assists: 3.2 — 3.9
Steals: 1.1 — 1.8
Minutes: 31.8 — 33.4
FG attempts: 9.6 — 11.8

Young’s offensive evolution is evident when looking at her shot chart in the Aces’ 93-87 win over the Lynx last week versus one from a game against the Lynx last season. On Thursday, she finished with a season-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line.

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The Connecticut Sun haven’t skipped a beat

The Sun dropped their first game against the New York Liberty without Courtney Williams and DeWanna Bonner but have been rolling ever since, winning their last four in a row to move into second place in the WNBA standings.

With their roster now fully intact, the Sun are showing how hungry they are for their first championship. For Connecticut, it always starts with discipline on the defensive end of the floor. The Sun lead the league with 11.6 steals per game and a 90.5 defensive rating, and they are holding their opponents to a league-low 72.2 points per game.

While their stingy defense has become their identity, the Sun’s offensive production through five games impresses me the most. Playing at a much faster pace this season, Connecticut leads the league with 27.4 points per game off turnovers and is second with 86.8 points per game. They also lead the league with 11.4 offensive boards per game and are second with 14 second-chance points a game, indicating how important it is for their half-court execution to score in transition.

The Sun have a wealth of weapons who can go off on any given night, but much of the offensive firepower we are seeing early on can be attributed to Alyssa Thomas. Returning at full strength this season after having surgery on a torn Achilles tendon last year, Thomas currently leads Connecticut with 19 points per game and is shooting a career-best 60.7 percent from the field. Thomas’ reemergence combined with Courtney Williams’ return to Connecticut have helped the Sun thwart their opponents with an up-tempo game.

Here is a look at the Sun’s production in a few key areas this season compared to last.

2021 vs. 2022 Stats

Points per game: 79.7 (8th) — 86.8 (2nd)
Offensive rebounds: 9.7 (3rd) — 11.4 (1st)
3-point %: 35.7 (4th) — 39.3 (2nd)
FG %: 44.4 (5th) — 45.1 (4th)
Steals: 7.8 (3rd) — 11.6 (1st)

Play of the week

Kayla McBride had been in the U.S. for less than 32 hours after flying from Istanbul to Los Angeles to join the Lynx for tipoff against the Sparks last Tuesday. McBride exploded for 24 points, going 4-for-7 from the 3-point line to lead the Lynx to their first win of the season. This was the final play drawn up for McBride in a timeout that ultimately put Minnesota ahead by three.

The Lynx executed this action to near perfection, and McBride did a great job of reading the handoff. Depending on how Brittney Sykes and Nneka Ogwumike defended it, Minnesota had several quick options out of the action.

Option 1: Dribble handoff to drive or open pass. Option 2: McBride reads how the defense is playing them and can flare back for an open look. Option 3: If the defense over-commits to McBride, Shepard might be able to face up and attack off the dribble herself, draw the defense and potentially kick it to open shooters.

Ultimately, Sykes and Ogwumike hesitated for a brief second when Shepard had the ball, leaving McBride with an open cut to the rim. She handled the pass and finished a reverse layup to avoid a trailing Sykes block.

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Week 3 Power Rankings

  1. Las Vegas Aces (7-1) +1
  2. Connecticut Sun (4-1) +2
  3. Chicago Sky (3-2) —
  4. Washington Mystics (5-2) -3
  5. Seattle Storm (3-3) +4
  6. Dallas Wings (4-2) +1
  7. Atlanta Dream (4-2) -2
  8. Phoenix Mercury (2-4) -2
  9. Minnesota Lynx (1-6) +3
  10. Los Angeles Sparks (2-5) -2
  11. New York Liberty (1-4) —
  12. Indiana Fever (2-6) -2

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.

The Las Vegas Aces continued their hot start Thursday night, taking down the Minnesota Lynx 93-87 to improve to 5-1 on the season.

They were led by Jackie Young, who recently signed an extension on her rookie contract that will keep her in Las Vegas for two more years and is worth $165,000 in the first year, according to Her Hoop Stats. Young had a season-high 25 points Thursday, including eight points in the fourth quarter.

For the second game in a row, all five of the Aces’ starters were in double-digits, with Dearica Hamby putting up 14 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double. A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray each had 17 points apiece while Kelsey Plum had 14.

“We’re leaning on each other to get the job done,” Wilson said. “We’re holding each other accountable. The expectations are there, it’s always been there for the Aces but right now we’re really trying to come together in the locker room to make sure we’re doing our job.”

But the team was out-rebounded defensively – Minnesota had 28 defensive rebounds to the Aces’ 23 – and had just one blocked shot to Minnesota’s five.

Aerial Powers had 25 points for the Lynx. Sylvia Fowles, with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Jessica Shepard, with 14 points and 14 rebounds, each posted a double-double.

“Our defense sucked,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “We were just giving them too many opportunities.”

But it wasn’t all bad. Kayla McBride, who returned from Turkey and helped lead the Lynx to their first win Tuesday, was held scoreless by Wilson.

On offense, the Aces shot 46.3 percent from the field, and Young went 8-for-12. They also made nine 3-pointers to Minnesota’s six.

“Jackie Young was, again, great on both ends of the ball,” Hammon said.

Teams across the league are extending the contracts of their biggest stars as the WNBA regular season gets underway.

The New York Liberty reportedly has exercised Sabrina Ionescu’s fourth-year rookie scale option, according to Rachel Galligan of Winsidr. The guard, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Liberty in 2020, is averaging 18.8 points, five rebounds and five assists through four games this season.

The Las Vegas Aces announced Sunday that the team had signed Jackie Young to a contract extension. Young, drafted in 2019 with the No. 1 overall pick, is averaging 17.8 points per game to start the regular season behind 55.6 percent shooting.

“We are extremely excited to announce that Jackie has re-signed with the Aces!” general manager Natalie Williams in a statement. “She is a true professional, and a beast of a defender who is constantly proving that she is one of the premier guards in the league.”

The Los Angeles Sparks announced Katie Lou Samuelson’s one-year contract extension Sunday, which will keep her with the team through 2023. Samuelson joined the Sparks in 2022 via an offseason trade with the Seattle Storm.

“We’re excited to have Katie Lou be an important part of our group moving forward,” said general manager and head coach Derek Fisher. “Katie Lou is coming off her best season in the WNBA coupled with a strong overseas season in Spain. She can stretch the floor and guard multiple positions, and will be a great teammate and presence in our locker room.”

The Minnesota Lynx signed Jessica Shepard to a multi-year contract extension Sunday, with the terms of the deal not released. Shepard averaged 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in Minnesota’s four losses to start the season.

Sunday’s game between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury came down to the final possession, with Jackie Young and Ji-Su Park sealing the 84-83 win for the Aces.

Young first put Las Vegas up by one, nailing the putback with 4.3 seconds on the clock. Then, Park came up with the game-sealing defensive stop, blocking Brianna Turner’s last-second shot.

Kelsey Plum led the Aces in point with 23 points, shooting 50 percent from the field. Riquna Williams added 13 points to the team’s tally, shooting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.

The Las Vegas Aces have already clinched the second seed in the 2021 playoffs, while the Mercury locked up 5th, with Sunday’s game having no postseason implications.

The Aces rallied to defeat Seattle 96-80 on Tuesday night after falling to the Storm in their season opener over the weekend.

After weathering their initial loss, the Aces played like the title contender many predicted them to be. Last season, Seattle swept Las Vegas 3-0 to win the WNBA championship.

Jackie Young had a standout performance Tuesday, scoring a career-high 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds. As the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft, Young looks poised to have a breakout season, posting her second career double-double in the team’s second game of 2021.

It wasn’t just Young who had a big game Tuesday night. Reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Young and Wilson were among the six Las Vegas players who scored in the double digits against Seattle.

The Aces will look to extend their winning record when they host the Sparks at home on Friday.