It’s easy to pinpoint how Becky Hammon’s reputation as one of the WNBA’s toughest coaches sprouted.

From yelling during timeouts to furrowing her eyebrows before explicit postgame rants to the media, the fourth-year Aces coach often showcases why she’s someone who fans often joke they’d be nervous to upset.

But as the Aces extended the league’s longest active win streak to seven games with a rout of the Dallas Wings on Sunday, smiles were in healthy supply from Hammon and her players.

Those grins were a reminder that there’s another side to the Naismith Hall of Famer, which could be key to her team blooming just in time for ideal postseason positioning.

Hammon planted the seeds of success early, presenting each of her players with a plant at the start of the season. She started with small personalized pots, which displayed each player’s name along with a unique saying she thought they should see.

“Everyday, they can read it. Now, some of them — their plants are still alive, which is amazing. But it was just about building something that you had to do every day. You have to give that plant a little bit of water every day. It has to have a certain amount of sunlight,” Hammon said. “It was just about sowing good roots. Having a good base.”

Hammon, a friend to any good metaphor, found another way to describe the potential impact of her gift of greenery: “Understanding the difference between being planted and being buried.”

That’s an idea that surely resonates with the Aces. They started the season deep in a hole.

Just last month, headlines lamented the former back-to-back WNBA champions spending most of the first half of the campaign at under .500. The new-look Aces had already lost three games by 20-plus points by the All-Star break, a notable decline after having only recorded two such defeats in Hammon’s first three seasons combined.

Now, it appears her team has pushed through the dirt.

Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and forward Kierstan Bell, the Aces’ leading scorers in their most recent win, couldn’t help but laugh upon Bell’s admission that the plant she received from Hammon is now dead.

“Mine was saying, ‘Keep joy,’ ” Bell said of her custom pot. “And I think I’m just doing that. And you know, the beginning of the season wasn’t going really well for me, but my teammates had my back. (Hammon) had my back. And so I think this organization is just family. At the end of the day, we’re here for each other.”

Giving Becky

Hammon knew the message she selected for Bell would be important because she listens to her players.

“I’m here to serve them, get the best out of them, do what’s best for them — not only individually, but as a group,” Hammon said.

Doing what was best last month meant sitting veteran guard Jewell Loyd, at her request, and starting Bell instead. The Aces are 9-1 since that change.

Loyd said she told Hammon in multiple conversations that she simply wanted to help the team win. It took Hammon a while to agree that moving a two-time champion to the second unit would help, but she ultimately gave in.

“Early on, I thought in a lot of ways, our group was pressing,” Hammon said, naming Loyd, Wilson and point guard Chelsea Gray. “And now we’ve all just kind of settled in. No one’s going anywhere. We’re all on this ship together.”

Shortly after, Hammon gave again — in a different way.

She relinquished some of her control over pregame preparation, empowering Wilson to lead her teammates through the defensive scouting. It yielded improvements in back-to-back wins before a historic 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug 2. The Aces haven’t lost since, and have continued their new method of collaborative analysis with no plans to stop.

“You’re trying to get greatness out of each other and also giving them that security of being themselves,” Hammon said. “Overall, players operate better in freedom. I’m just trying to give you a little structure, but at the end of the day, I want you to be basketball players. I want you to use your brains. … Go out there and hoop and I’ll help you along the way.”

Next, Hammon will likely give some of her time to rookie Aaliyah Nye, who started the season as a key shooting threat on the perimeter but has been held scoreless in three of the team’s last five games.

“She’s maybe hit a little wall. But I think more than anything, it’s probably mental,” Hammon said. “So, I’m gonna have to take her out to dinner or something and talk about that, and how she’s gotta let it go.”

It’s part of the consistency Hammon hopes her players expect from her, which she compared to a friend you can count on to always answer the phone.

“No one’s gonna outgive me. I know this,” she said. “You’re gonna get stuff from me. That’s what I think leadership is about.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.

Up next

Who: Dream at Aces

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena

TV: NBAtv

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)

Line: Aces -1; total 164