Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith did not appear at practice Wednesday during the portion open to media.
Although the team has not provided an official update on Smith following her injury during the third quarter of Sunday’s road victory over the Toronto Tempo, Stephanie Talbot indicated her teammate’s absence could extend into the final stretch of the regular season.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game, and Lyss is a massive blow to us,” Talbot said. “She has been awesome for us on the boards, in the paint, just doing all the little things.
“In the short term, I think we are all just going to have to step up a little bit more while we figure out the plan moving forward.”
Smith, who leads the WNBA in field-goal percentage, has averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds over 37 games this season and has been an important piece of the Aces’ frontcourt.
She also played a significant role in Las Vegas’ 2025 championship run, averaging 7.1 points, five rebounds and one block over 12 playoff games en route to her first WNBA championship.
With five regular-season games remaining before the playoffs begin Sept. 27, the Aces have little time to adjust without Smith. The timing of the injury does give Las Vegas an extended break before the final stretch of the regular season.
The break comes in the form of the FIBA World Cup, which will pause league action from Aug. 27 to Sept. 12, giving some players time to rest and recover while others represent their respective countries. A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young will play for Team USA, Mai Yamamoto will represent Japan and Talbot will join Australia.
For Aces coach Becky Hammon, however, the priority during the break is making sure her roster returns healthy as the playoffs approach.
“For us that have so many pieces gone, we just want to stay healthy and wish them the best of luck while they’re over there, but come back to us healthy,” Hammon said. “We will take care of the rest and whatever we need to do as we move forward to the playoffs.
“It is always awkward how you handle these breaks. I mean, it is rest and rust and all the things. For us, because we have a handful of people going, our ramp-up will look a little different. It’s definitely a little different trying to sew in that identity when you have a lot of big pieces missing.”
