The last-place Connecticut Sun are hopeful a promising addition to the roster will make a difference when they host the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.
Leila Lacan, drafted 10th overall in 2024, is with the Sun (2-15) after France lost to Italy in the bronze-medal game of the EuroBasket tournament and is excited about the next chapter.
“It’s the best league in the world,” Lacan said, according to the Hartford Courant. “I’m just happy to have the chance to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to play with my new teammates and see what we can do.”
Lacan has been playing four years professionally in France and Sun head coach Rachid Meziane expects her to make an impact on a team that has lost nine in a row.
“She’s a playmaker, and I know that she can be a dog on defense,” Meziane said. “She can guard the best opposing player and create, which I think is something we need.”
The slumping Aces (8-9) need to bounce back after their worst loss of the season to make it seven defeats in their past 11 games.
Las Vegas was crushed 81-54 at the hands of the Indiana Fever on the road Thursday. Head coach Becky Hammon said afterward that it was “one of the worst games I’ve ever seen.”
A’ja Wilson, averaging a team-best 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, was the lone Las Vegas player to score in double figures, pouring in 29. Nobody else had more than six points as the Aces shot 26.2 percent from the floor and went 3 of 16 from 3-point range (18.8 percent).
“Maybe we’ve got to shake something up, shake up the starting lineup,” Hammon told reporters. “It’s really hard to know as a coach what team you’re getting on a given night. If I knew what buttons to push to make sure our effort was appropriate every night, I’d be pushing those buttons.”
Las Vegas scored at least 83 points in its previous five games before the team was held to its lowest scoring output of the year.
The Aces dominated in an 85-59 home win over the Sun on June 25. Sunday’s game is their third of five straight on the road.
It has been nearly a month since the Sun have won a game, with their last on June 6 in an 84-76 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
Connecticut will continue to be without Marina Mabrey (knee), who leads the team with 15.2 points per outing. She has not played in any of the last four games.
–Field Level Media
