No Cap Space WBB Team Previews: Los Angeles Sparks
Our primer & preview series continues, getting you up to date on every WNBA team and a quick hitter on what to expect from them this year. Up next: the Los Angeles Sparks.
There were three teams this year who understood what was coming in the WNBA and, while a bit later to the party than some of their peers, made the moves necessary to signal their seriousness as a franchise. Those three were the Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks.
L.A. parted ways with Curt Miller at the end of the year while Magic Johnson, arguably the most visible of the owners in this group, was pilloried by local columnist Bill Plaschke for his perceived apathy towards the team. Johnson, for his part, seems to have recognized that the times, they-are-a-changin’.
Will this be the first season since the departure of Candace Parker that the Sparks have some energy and a product worth watching? While they may not be title contenders, they’ll certainly be a fun watch.
2024 Lookback:
8-32 Overall (2-3 Commissioner’s Cup)
Head Coach Curt Miller Fired
Lynne Roberts Hired As head coach.
2024 Leaders:
Dearica Hamby: 17.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.5 APG
Rickea Jackson: 13.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.5 APG
Odyssey Sims: 9.8 PPG, 5.1 APG, 1.7 RPG
Who Left:
Lexie Brown (Seattle Storm via trade)
Li Yueru (Seattle Storm via trade)
Layshia Clarendon (Retired)
Stephanie Talbot (Golden State Valkyries via Expansion Draft)
Zia Cooke (Waived)
Kia Nurse (Chicago Sky via Free Agency)
Crystal Dangerfield (Unsigned)
Who’s Back:
Dearica Hamby
Cameron Brink
Rickea Jackson
Rae Burrell
Julie Allemand
Odyssey Sims
Aari McDonald
Azura Stevens
Draft Picks:
Sarah Ashlee Barker (Round 1, Pick 9)
Sania Feagin (Round 2, Pick 21)
Liatu King (Round 3, Pick 28)
Who’s New:
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces via trade)
Emma Cannon (Free Agency)
Anneli Maley (Free Agency)
Saneice Swan (Free Agency)
Mercedes Russell (Free Agency)
Alyssa Utsby (Undrafted Free Agent)
2025 Strengths:
Overall, I like the balance of the Sparks this year. Tyler likes to make the argument that they didn’t need to make the push for Kelsey Plum to try and speed up the rebuild process but the move, to me, spoke to a renewed sense of interest by L.A.’s ownership group. KP does bring another good, solid veteran voice and a player that can thrive in Lynne Roberts’ system while shoring up the guard position. In light of Olivia Miles’ decision to return to the NCAA and forgo the WNBA Draft this year, the trade looks pretty good in hindsight. Instead of having to try and maneuver out of the pick or find the best player available, the Sparks got a star player at a position of need.
The balance of this team is its strength. Cameron Brink showed flashes of excellence before her injury and between her foul outs (a part of her play worth keeping an eye on as she returns) while Rickea Jackson established herself as one of the best up-and-coming scorers in the league. Plum augments the backcourt and Alabama draft pick Sarah Ashlee Barker will factor in nicely while Dearica Hamby made the leap last year to All-WNBA level wing. While I wouldn’t say they have a true center, Brink can fill that role effectively and their starting five — while not WNBA title contender level — is a really fun group that can grow into something truly special.
2025 Weaknesses:
Frontcourt depth is probably the biggest concern especially with the trade of Li Yueru to Seattle. The Sparks went out and got Mercedes Russell in free agency while grabbing two elite college bigs in Sania Feagin from South Carolina and Liatu King from Notre Dame. Feagin is an elite interior defender whose offensive game improved substantially with Ashlyn Watkins out of the Gamecock lineup with a knee injury. King was the steady constant in what ended up becoming a rather up-and-down season for Notre Dame. The Pittsburgh transfer ended up becoming one of the nation’s most prolific rebounders and is a great energy player as well as locker room presence.
But is that enough when the western conference is stacked at the top with extremely deep fronts? I liked some of the offseason moves the Sparks to build our their depth at other positions. Rae Burrell and Odyssey Sims are value adds and were absolutely worth hanging on to. I’m particularly interested in Azura Stevens, who brings the height needed to contend in the frontcourt and is a fantastic locker room presence. Over the course of her career she’s dealt with injuries and just feels like she’s hitting her stride in the league. If she finds her groove in Lynne Roberts’ system this year, Stevens could change the complexion of this team in a big way.
2025 Outlook:
The Sparks still feel a year or two away but they feel like an insanely fun League Pass team. They’ve got a playoff make up provided their sophomore class makes the jump most of us expect them to. Whatever you may feel about the Lynne Roberts hire, the Sparks will play a more offensive oriented style of ball this year and are going to be a fun watch in more ways than one. After years of sharing a backcourt with Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, I’m fascinated to see what Kelsey Plum looks like when she’s given the keys to a backcourt. She and Dearica Hamby had a good relationship as teammates in Vegas and I expect to see some of that chemistry shine through again.
Rickea Jackson and how she’s employed will probably be the most interesting storyline of this team to follow. Roberts’ system lends itself to a more three-point and high efficiency (read: layup) style of offense. Jackson is a throwback in that she can score at all three levels but is an elite mid-range jump shooter. The WNBA hasn’t fully gone Daryl Morey just yet but how Roberts decides to change or ride the wave of Jackson’s game is worth watching develop over the course of the season. That, and if Cam Brink can stay on the floor long enough to show us exactly why people considered her one of the highest ceiling players of the 2024 draft class.
Overall, it may be early to get on the train in Los Angeles but it’s akin to watching Anderson .Paak perform in a small venue before Malibu drops. You’ll get to say you knew them before the casuals all showed up.
Love the .Paak reference at the end! One of the great artists of his generation
I respect your optimism for the future, but I also feel like the Sparks are going to struggle this year to find a scheme that works for their available players. I'm not saying they won't eventually find something that works, but it's going to be a slog for them initially until they do.