Angel McCoughtry went down in an exhibition game on Saturday and announced on Monday that she has torn her right ACL and meniscus.
The Aces, who are the league favorites, will now be without a key player who is one of the all-time greats. With A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage leading the way, they still have a team with a lot of top-end talent and their list of stars still includes Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Riquna Williams as well. But the acquisition of McCoughtry, who previously spent 10 years with the Atlanta Dream, was a big reason why the Aces were picked by many to be the second or third best team in the league prior to last season even with Cambage opting out.
In McCoughtry, the Aces lost someone who is still a legit star at age 34. They may now be more vulnerable against teams like the Chicago Sky, Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics.
McCoughtry missed the entire 2019 season due to a knee injury, but averaged 14.4 points in just 20 minutes per game last year. She is a five-time All-Star and has averaged 20 or more points in a season five times.
McCoughtry said the following in a statement on Monday:
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