WNBA: How the Sparks should enhance to make the playoffs

The Las Vegas Aces ended the Los Angeles Sparks’ five-game successful streak on Tuesday, however even in defeat, LA can take away some positives. For one, they welcomed again Cameron Brink.

The No. 2 decide within the 2024 WNBA Draft appeared good in restricted motion for the Sparks. Together with her again, they’ve a totally wholesome squad for the primary time in years. And with 18 video games left to play, and are simply two video games away from the eighth and ultimate playoff spot.

To make up that floor and play postseason video games for the primary time since 2020, they’ve two huge issues they should enhance upon:

Hold the turnovers down

LA turns the ball over far an excessive amount of. Of their most up-to-date loss to Las Vegas, that they had 20 turnovers. It’s exhausting to win video games once you’re giving up possessions and permitting different groups to have fastbreak alternatives.

On the season, the Sparks are averaging 15.8 turnovers per sport. That’s the second-most within the WNBA. In losses, they common 17.3, in comparison with simply 13.9 turnovers in victories. The correlation is evident: The much less the Sparks flip the ball over, the extra seemingly they’re to win video games.

The excellent news is that they’ve been enhancing on this class due to Julie Allemand. Since getting back from EuroBasket Ladies duties, she has been beginning for the Sparks and taking part in at a excessive stage within the backcourt as an on-ball choice maker.

Allemand has a 3.06 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is the Twelfth-best within the WNBA. If Allemand’s play stays at this stage, then she might help the Sparks’ turnover numbers proceed to go down.

Higher bench play

Picture by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Photos

The Sparks are getting an All-Star season from Kelsey Plum, a profession yr from Azurá Stevens and wonderful numbers from Dearica Hamby. Regardless of their key starters outperforming expectations, LA remains to be struggling to win video games.

So, how can they enhance when their greatest gamers are already taking good care of their jobs? Nicely, the additional manufacturing must come from the supporting solid. This hasn’t occurred for a lot of the yr. The Sparks’ bench has an offensive score of 37.6, which is tied for the worst within the WNBA alongside the Atlanta Dream.

Barring a commerce or a free agent signing, the 2 gamers who might help on this division are Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink.

Burrell returned to the court docket in July after injuring her knee within the season opener and has given the Sparks some offensive juice off the bench. Since coming again, she’s averaging virtually seven factors per sport and the crew has received six of their final 9 matchups. She appears to have a inexperienced gentle to be aggressive as a scorer with the second unit, and it’s been working.

Defensively, the bench will now have a reinforcement with Brink.

In her 14-minute season debut towards the Aces, she had a steal and a block. Brink additionally ended the evening with a plus-minus of +5, which is tough to do when your crew loses by double figures.

If Burrell can carry the offense and Brink the protection, that simply may be sufficient to get the Sparks over the hump and into the playoffs. If not, then enhancing the bench depth might be a high precedence within the offseason.

Total, the Sparks are in a stable place. Everyone seems to be wholesome, and there are sufficient video games remaining to see simply how good they are often. If they’ll clear up the turnovers and get one thing from their reserves, all whereas the starters maintain up their finish of the cut price, they need to be capable to play past the 44 scheduled regular-season video games.