A'ja Wilson's Shooting Slump Adds to Struggles for Aces

A'ja Wilson boasts an exceptional career resume, including being a 3x MVP, 6x All-Star, 5x All-WNBA selection, Finals MVP, and leading the Aces to two championships. She recently became the fastest WNBA player ever to reach 5,000 points, achieved in just 238 games.

However, this season has seen a dip in performance for both Wilson and her team, the Las Vegas Aces (currently 7-8). While Wilson's defense remains outstanding and her overall stats (21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists on 44% shooting) are solid, they represent a regression from her MVP year last season (26.9 points on 51.8% shooting). Her current 44% field goal percentage is the lowest of her career.

Analysis of Wilson's shot distribution reveals that over 80% of her attempts come from within 14 feet of the rim, with the highest volume (31%) originating from the 5-9 foot range. The problem lies in her efficiency: she is shooting only 30% from 5-9 feet this season, her lowest percentage from any area on the court and a significant drop from 51% in that same range last year. While her shot volume from 5-9 feet has increased (31% vs 19.8% last season), her accuracy has plummeted.

Conversely, Wilson's efficiency from 15-19 feet remains relatively similar (46.7% this year vs 50.4% last year), but she is taking far fewer shots from this historically successful mid-range zone (only 7.8% of her total volume vs 19% last season). Her three-point shooting has also declined sharply to 20% (down 11.7% from last year) on nearly identical attempt volume.

The core issue is Wilson's mid-range shot effectiveness, particularly her struggle in the high-volume 5-9 foot area. She is taking the most shots in her least efficient zone while reducing attempts from a more efficient area (15-19 feet). Combined with her three-point shooting dip, this has resulted in a less efficient season overall compared to her past high standards.