Kelsey Plum is currently out with an ankle sprain, and the Sparks have struggled without her. They needed other players to step up, and that has been a challenge. Erica Wheeler scored 21 in a win over the Mystics and Rae Burrell has been the top points getter in both of their losses against the Sun and Aces.
It’d be unfair to judge the Sparks too harshly based on these results since most teams can’t stack wins if you take away their best player.
Still, part of having a successful season means figuring
out how to win games when key players are out. Unfortunately, the Sparks were unable to do that.
So, let’s grade this week’s performances. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Nneka Ogwumike
32.0 minutes, 14.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1.0 turnovers, 2.3 fouls, 15-35 FG, 2-8 3PT, 12-17 FT, -11
It’s pretty clear that the better Nneka plays, the more likely it is that the Sparks win. In their lone victory this week over Washington, she scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. In their loss against Connecticut, she had just three rebounds, and against the Aces, she shot 30% from the field.
Ogwumike needs to play at her All-Star level consistently, or else it’s going to be a long season.
Grade: C-
Erica Wheeler
30.7 minutes, 14.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 3.7 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 16-34 FG, 3-12 3PT, 9-12 FT, -6
Wheeler was a big reason the Sparks had any success this week. She tied for the most points on the Sparks and led the team in assists.
Wheeler always brings defensive tenacity, but elevating her offensive play was a pleasant surprise.
Grade: A
Rae Burrell
30.7 minutes, 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 blocks, 2.0 turnovers, 2.0 fouls, 15-35 FG, 2-8 3PT, 12-17 FT, -18
This was a good week for Burrell. She took advantage of her opportunities and played very well against the Aces, scoring 22 points on 8-14 shooting.
Burrell is off to the best start of her career, averaging highs in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage. If she can keep it up, it’ll cement her as a bona fide starter in the WNBA.
Grade: A-
Ariel Atkins
30.1 minutes, 11.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 2.0 turnovers, 4.3 fouls, 9-27 FG, 3-10 3PT, 12-12 FT, -1
Atkins is a tremendous defensive player, so good, in fact, that she might even make the WNBA All-Defense team.
But if she can’t be positive at all offensively, it really neutralizes how much that matters. Atkins struggled all week scoring the basketball. She failed to crack double figures in two of the three games the Sparks had this week, and she shot a woeful 30% from deep.
LA needs more from Atkins, or else the trade they made, sending Rickea Jackson to Chicago for her, will remain unpopular.
Grade: C-
Dearica Hamby
28.1 minutes, 9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 turnovers, 2.3 fouls, 8-29 FG, 0-5 3PT, 11-16 FT, -16
Hamby had a rough week of play.
She struggled from the field and was unable to put points on the board. This team is built around Hamby as one of its top performers, and if she is unable to score, it really hinders their chances of success. Hopefully, this was just a poor string of games and not an ongoing trend this year.
Grade: C-
Cameron Brink
19.9 minutes, 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, 2.7 turnovers, 3.7 fouls, 9-21 FG, 3-8 3PT, 6-6 FT, +11
This is the first year Brink has been healthy, and she is playing like it. She remains a top rim protector and is now beginning to add some offense to her game. Her impact, even in losses, stands out, and it’s why she had a plus-minus of +11 across three games this week.
Grade: B+
Chance Gray
15.5 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 turnovers, 1.3 fouls, 5-11 FG, 4-9 3PT, 1-1 FT, +2
As a rookie, Gray is likely playing a bit too much. Overall, she remains an aggressive offensive player trying to be a spark coming off the bench for the team.
This season hasn’t necessarily been a smooth one for LA, but the franchise drafting Gray in the second round was clearly a smart move.
Grade: B
Kate Martin, Ta’Niya Latson, Jihyun Park
As a developmental contract player, Martin only played in one game this week. She logged 13 minutes against the Sun as the Sparks were shorthanded on the second night of a back-to-back. Since she participated in only that contest, she will not receive a grade this week.
Latson and Park both played in all three matchups but logged fewer than 10 minutes per game, so they will not receive grades either.
Lynne Roberts
The Sparks went 1-2 this week, and after their most recent loss, when LA scored just 69 points at home, head coach Lynne Roberts took ownership of her team’s shortcomings.
It’s hard to envision what games they should’ve won with Plum out, but certainly the team should’ve found ways to at least generate better offensive looks.
To Roberts credit, she acknowledged that and we’ll see if that improves moving forward.
Grade: C
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
