Aces' Rookie Aaliyah Nye Could See Extended Minutes Against Fever

Rookie guard Aaliyah Nye was a catalyst on defense and scored 13 points Friday night against the Seattle Storm. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said Nye earns her minutes by the energy she puts forth.

Jun 20, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Aaliyah Nye (13) drives the ball against Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown (8) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game at Michelob Ultra Arena. | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

If there was a silver lining in the loss to the Seattle Storm Friday night it had to be the emergence of rookie guard Aaliyah Nye. Nye played 24 minutes off the bench and took over in the third quarter when the starters were not getting the job done.

Nye played strong defense and chipped in 13 points to help try to get the Aces back in the game. The Aces ended up losing the game 90-83 at the Michelob Ultra Arena.

The third quarter was simply a train wreck for the Aces as they squandered an 11-point lead and were outscored 29-21 to end the quarter trailing by one. The Aces would go soft in the fourth period and could only muster 17 points.

Hammon was disconcerted with the play of her first unit in the third quarter. She was visibly upset in the post-game news conference.

"Maybe I will just start a different five in the third quarter. We'll see. Anything's on the table at this point, because it's gross," Hammon said. "Our defense was atrocious again in the third quarter, and that was the first five - not that second unit. I mean, it can't get any worse than that first five in the third quarter. So I'm going to discuss it with some of my coaches."

AALIYAH NYE MOMENTUM SHIFTER 🎯

Nails the buzzer-beating triple to make it 23-21 after one!

SEA-LVA | ION pic.twitter.com/5iHiiRdSeT

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 21, 2025

This is where Nye comes in. She was part of that second unit that excelled. She was aggressive with the basketball and played tough defense, something the first unit could not do.

It did not hurt that Nye was also 3-of-4 from 3-point land. Her first triple was a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter.

"She gets minutes because she plays hard. Her effort is there every time," Hammon said. "I can't say that down the line. It's there every time."

Nye was a second-round selection out of the University of Alabama. She was the 13th player selected overall.

For the season, Nye is averaging 4.3 points per game. The 13 points tied a season high.