This was supposed to be a win-now year for the Sparks.
They brought back veteran Nneka Ogwumike, traded Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins and Kelsey Plum even took less money so the roster could be built.
However, LA is a sub-.500 team once again with a 10-16 record entering the WNBA All-Star break. They have fired their general manager, Raegan Pebley, and need a fantastic second-half turnaround if they want to participate in the playoffs.
While plenty has gone wrong in LA, it’s not all bad. Kelsey Plum
was named a WNBA All-Star, Rae Burrell is having a career year and other players have stepped up to try to keep the Sparks afloat.
So, let’s grade their performances. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Kelsey Plum
34.5 minutes, 23.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 3.1 turnovers, 3.4 fouls, 52.7% FG, 38.3% 3PT, 80.6% FT, -4
Plum has done everything possible to make the Sparks successful. She has the highest points and assists averages on the team and is playing the most minutes when available.
Unfortunately, Plum has suffered a lower leg injury and has only played in 12 games. Once she returns, she will be LA’s offensive engine and give them the best chance of stacking up wins. Plenty has gone wrong this year for the Sparks, but Plum has been great. If anything good happens during the second half, it’ll be because Plum was involved.
Grade: A
Nneka Ogwumike
31.6 minutes, 17.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1 steal, 0.5 blocks, 1.6 turnovers, 1.7 fouls, 52.2% FG, 39.6% 3PT, 85.3% FT, -131
Ogwumike had an awesome game-winner against the Liberty, and that’s been far and away the highlight of the year.
She also became the franchise all-time leading scorer and is a WNBA All-Star.
Overall, Ogwumike has been good even if her points are down and defensively she’s lost a step. Her play has been a positive, and she’s clearly the team’s best frontcourt player.
Grade: B
Dearica Hamby
29.5 minutes, 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3.1 fouls, 53.5% FG, 23.3% 3PT, 71.9% FT, -60
Ogwumike’s return has meant that Hamby is no longer the go-to big for the Sparks. That’s been a tough adjustment. She’s taking fewer shots compared to last year and shooting worse from the field. Last year she converted on 57.2% of her attempts, and this season she’s making just 53.5% of her shots.
Hamby has begun to find her groove, though. Over the last three games, she’s scored at least 16 points, and in LA’s last contest before the All-Star break, she had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Mercury.
Hopefully, she can build on those games and have a strong end to the year.
Grade: C
Erica Wheeler
28 minutes, 8.7 points, 2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 36.4% FG, 24.3% 3PT, 87.2% FT, -54
Wheeler is playing too much.
The last time she averaged this many minutes was back in 2021. Ideally, she should be a scorer and solid defender coming off the bench.
In that role, she can perhaps find her rhythm and improve her shooting. Wheeler is making only 36.4% of her shots, making this her second-worst shooting season of her career. As a vocal leader, she brings a ton to this team, but the production needs to be better.
Grade: C–
Rae Burrell
28.1 minutes, 13 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 2.2 turnovers, 1.9 fouls, 45.3% FG, 37.9% 3PT, 78.7% FT, -122
Burrell is having a great season. She is now a double-digit scorer and has had five games with 20 or more points, with three of those performances coming in July.
At this point, Burrell needs to play as much as possible and must be one of the players the Sparks are building around moving forward.
Grade: A+
Ariel Atkins
27.3 minutes, 9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, 1.8 turnovers, 3.1 fouls, 36.7% FG, 27.5% 3PT, 97.1% FT, -49
Atkins is a great defender, but this team really needs scoring, and in that department she has struggled. She is averaging career lows in points, and her 36.7% shooting from the field is brutal.
The Sparks need more from her if Atkins is going to continue starting for this team.
Grade: C-
Cameron Brink
17.6 minutes, 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.5 blocks, 2.4 turnovers, 3.6 fouls, 48.6% FG, 34% 3PT, 78.8% FT, -36
Brink had a rough ankle sprain that kept her out of some games, but overall she’s been healthy. As a backup big, she has remained a good rim protector. She has improved her outside shot substantially and continues to get better offensively.
Grade: B+
Kiana Williams
12.6 minutes, 3.2 points, 0.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.9 turnovers, 1.3 fouls, 35.3% FG, 17.4% 3PT, 50% FT, -15
The Sparks don’t utilize their bench much, so Williams only plays a couple of shifts per game. She eats up some backcourt minutes, but hasn’t been a standout player.
Grade: C
Chance Gray
10.3 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.7 turnovers, 0.9 fouls, 36.5% FG, 34.2% 3PT, 85.7% FT, -86
As a rookie, Gray has done a good job of contributing and trying to carve out her role in a tough situation. She hasn’t wowed with her play, but the fact that Gray can get on the floor and make an impact here and there is impressive.
Grade: B
Jihyun Park
9 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.3 turnovers, 1.2 fouls, 37.2% FG, 15% 3PT, 60% FT, -60
Similar to Gray, Park is a rookie trying to establish herself in the WNBA. She gets picked on defensively, but has gotten better on that side of the ball as the year has progressed. Park’s game this year came in a loss against the Lynx. She had 13 points and shot 5-7 from the field.
Grade: B-
Kate Martin
6.9 minutes, 2.4 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 0.1 turnovers, 0.9 fouls, 36.4% FG, 29.2% 3PT, 62.5% FT, -11
Martin played so well on a developmental contract that the Sparks gave her a standard deal. She hasn’t played much, but she’s a good option when the team has guards out due to injury.
Grade: B-
Emma Cannon
6.7 minutes, 4.4 points, 1 rebound, 0.5 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.5 turnovers, 1.4 fouls, 56.5% FG, 60% 3PT, 81.3% FT, +2
Cannon is a good veteran presence on the team. She doesn’t play much but knows how to be a pro, and that’s valuable for all the rookies and younger players on the roster.
Grade: B
Alissa Pili, Tonie Morgan
The Sparks have Pili and Morgan on developmental deals. Pili has played in just three games and Morgan has yet to make her Sparks debut. Ideally, they play very little and the team remains healthy.
Lynne Roberts
The WNBA is a results-based league, and Roberts hasn’t gotten the wins. The Sparks are once again having a losing season, and with Pebley gone, the next logical move for LA is to also make a change in coaching.
So, whether fair or unfair, Roberts is coaching for her job.
In her defense, she’s been missing her best player for the majority of the season. With the Sparks losing a handful of games by just a couple of points, they probably win some of those contests if Plum is available.
Still, the Sparks have underachieved, and Roberts hasn’t figured out how to optimize her team’s talent to earn results. Roberts, like the rest of the Sparks, has to be better.
Grade: C-
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
