On Saturday, the Los Angeles Sparks couldn’t close out the Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter on the road, and the contest headed to overtime.
Los Angeles was trying to extend their winning streak to three games and get above .500 for the first time this season. With the stakes high and the pressure on, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts went with Cameron Brink over Dearica Hamby in overtime.
That was a tremendous amount of trust in Brink’s ability, and Roberts was rewarded with great play from her
frontcourt player. Within the opening minute of overtime, Brink defended Kahleah Copper one-on-one and rejected her midrange shot attempt.
Moments later she knocked down a corner 3 and was fouled by Lexi Held, making it a four-point play for Brink.
The jubilation on her face was as clear as day, breaking through her all-black mask. Brink slapped the ground multiple times while she grinned ear to ear. Ariel Atkins, also masked up, greeted her and gave her an approving headbutt.
Thanks to Brink’s defensive efforts and big-time basket, LA went up by eight points with a little over three minutes left to play in the extra period, and the Mercury never threatened again.
After the win, Roberts explained why she opted to close with Cam:
We wanted some length defensively. She’s got such good instincts, and even if she’s not blocking shots, she’s impacting them. I thought she did a great job tonight of staying out of foul trouble. She stayed vertical, and if she’s being disciplined like that, then we want her in there all the time. It was just really defensively, and then her shooting ability, that stretches the floor, so that was what went into that decision.
The game provided the template for more playing time for Brink: strong shooting and the ability to defend without fouling.
Brink has already committed 52 fouls this season, which is the second most in the WNBA. Considering she has done this while playing only 244 minutes, while everyone else in the top 10 in fouls has played at least 313 minutes logged, highlights how she must clean up her defense in order truly reach her potential on that end of the floor.
Still, the positives for Brink far outweigh the negatives, as she is averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, turning her much hyped promise into production.
After tearing her ACL 13 games into her rookie season and only returning halfway through her second year, this is the first WNBA campaign where she is healthy—hopefully. On Monday night, Brink turned her ankle in the Sparks’ eventual loss to the Golden State Valkyries, never returning to the game. Afterwards, Roberts offered no update on her status.
Always an elite shot blocker dating back to her college days at Stanford, Brink’s improved offensive play is what’s really unlocking her potential. An average of under 10 points per game might not jump out to fans, but it’s how she’s scoring that’s so encouraging.
Brink has improved in all aspects of her shooting. She is shooting a career best 53.8 percent from the field, and her willingness to take the outside shot is opening up her game. Brink is taking 2.3 attempts from deep and knocking down 34.4 percent of those shots, which is also a career-best. This stretches out the floor and improves the overall spacing for the team. Opponents now can’t just sag off Brink on her 3s. They have to step up and contest.
In just 14 games, she has taken 32 3-pointers, which is more than she’s taken in any other season. Considering there are still 30 games left to play, she is going to set a new standard for herself regarding her outside shooting.
With her offense now catching up to her elite defense, Brink is entering another tier of player. If she keeps this up, she’ll be one of the best young bigs in the WNBA and should eventually be a starter for Los Angeles before season’s end.
Her rate of improvement is just too good to limit to only 17.4 minutes per game from off the bench.
However, consistency will be key. The ability to remain willing as a 3-point shooter and a ferocious, but careful, defender are key. At this juncture, given she still hasn’t reached her ceiling, it’s safe to bet that Brink can be even better, especially since she puts into the work required to expand and grow her game.
And that’s good for Sparks, now back at .500, as they try to truly turn things around and make this a contending franchise once again.
