Overlooking Kate Martin, Ex-ESPN Journalist Names Another Rookie as LV Aces’ “Difference Maker”

The LV Aces were going for their threepeat dream run until the NY Liberty handed them a reality check in the semis. A’ja Wilson & Co. lost the first 2 games before winning a must-win clash in the third but finally succumbing to the Liberty in the fourth matchup. Hence, now that the Aces are out and would be prepping up for the next season, introspecting what went wrong, an ex-ESPN journalist claims who could be the final key for the ‘Sin City’ franchise.

Callie Fin and Natalie Esquire sat for their podcast ‘On Her Turf’ on NBC on Tuesday to shed light on how the Aces would gear up for the next season. And according to Fin, one rookie could play a major role in their quest and it is not Caitlin Clark’s ex-teammate.

“I mean you also have to think they have Liz Kitley loading. She’s defrosting. They drafted her and then you know invested in her recovery and she’s gonna be a huge difference maker. It seemed to me, on the team, a big center, who can do a lot of things that the Aces needed this year. So it’s like that also throws a wrench into what the team could look like,” Fin stated.

Coming off Virginia Tech, Elizabeth Kitley was drafted in the second round by the Aces. “Did not know and expect her to be there at our pick, so we definitely had to grab her,” Aces general manager Natalie Williams revealed on drafting the 23-year-old. She had further expressed that if Kitley wasn’t injured, she would have been in the top 10. Hence, according to the Aces management, she was a good pick by the 2x reigning champions. “By drafting her, we knew we could bank her until next year,” Williams further added.

Kitley suffered an ACL tear in March during the NCAA season. Hence, it was a risky decision to invest in her. However, the Aces found value in her and let the former Hokies recuperate while on their roster. The LV center, therefore, can play a big role as their core star A’ja Wilson currently has to play the role of a center, which can change with Kitley finding herself a place in the lineup. All this points out to Kitley’s importance in the team which wasn’t expected by fans because of Kate Martin.

How important is Kate Martin?

When Las Vegas drafted their rookies this year, Martin came in the second round before Kitley. The Iowa-alum was considered to be a big pick for the Aces considering she had the experience of playing in a team that made it to the NCAA Championship Finals for two consecutive years. Taking cognizance of her exceptional skills, the 2x champion’s core player Kelsey Plum enumerated that “Kate Martin is awesome. Kate Martin picks up things so quickly; she’s an amazing sponge.” The Olympic gold medalist also gave her a nickname for ‘Kate “Money” Martin.’ And the 24-year-old justified it with her performance.

Though Martin did not average much, she played 34 games this season, starting in 2 of them. One of her most notable performances came against the Los Angeles Sparks when she hit 13 points in a loss with 4 rebounds and 3 assists in June. Hence, it was expected that she would be a major player as the Aces would be looking to rebuild their franchise and perform well in the next season.

But according to Fin, Kitley can assume the main role in the coming season. Hopefully, she will stand tall on expectations, helping the 2x WNBA Champions outsmart their opponents and claim their dream of having a third Championship title.