By all reporting, Kelsey Plum didn’t formally request a commerce from the Las Vegas Aces final offseason. She didn’t need to. They have been the San Antonio Stars when she bought picked first general in 2017 and eight years later, that they had been by extra collectively than only a rebrand out West.
Plum struggled, failing to common double-digit factors in any of her first three seasons. After an Achilles tear, she watched from house because the Aces misplaced within the 2020 WNBA Finals. However a return noticed her win Sixth Participant of the 12 months, as she was beginning to fulfill the large expectations that hung over her profession. In 2022, the true leap: Plum was the main scorer on a championship workforce, then the Aces repeated as champs in 2023 earlier than a semifinals loss in 2024.
A profitable, exhausting, full journey for the 30-year-old Plum. (And people are simply her on-court trials.) So, it got here as little shock when she didn’t signal an extension with Las Vegas, which finally signed-and-traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks earlier than the 2025 season.
“It was time for me to develop,” she advised reporters in mid-Could. “That’s why I took a leap of religion. It’s simply time for a brand new chapter in my life — personally and professionally.”
That new chapter, now three-quarters into the season, is in full swing. How’s it going?
Plum Dawg, LA’s High Dawg
I’m, maybe, not probably the most unbiased narrator. I like watching Kelsey Plum hoop, and when the Sparks play, Plum does a number of hooping. Per Synergy Sports activities, 47.4 p.c of her possessions this season have are available in pick-and-roll, handoffs or isolations, her highest price since a wildly overtaxed rookie 12 months.
Tasked with such a creation burden, Plum does slip into a few of her extra unbecoming habits. She chucks or drives recklessly into the paint, solely to get swallowed up by bigger assist defenders. However her ability software is constantly jaw-dropping. Listed below are two drives from a July 26 contest towards the New York Liberty, only a minute aside in a decent fourth quarter:
Plum first geese underneath the 6-foot-4 Leonie Fiebich with a jump-stop and pump-fake, then outwits the short, 5-foot-10 Natasha Cloud with a deceleration. They’re reverse however wholly efficient ending strikes, deployed completely towards two distinct defenders. That deceleration is perhaps her go-to-move, however she will be able to pull something out of a bottomless toolbox as a driver.
And but, the way in which Plum units up her drives is extra spectacular — and extra essential — than how she finishes them. On every of these performs, her defender is initially attempting to drive her proper however Plum will get again to her dominant left hand. That is how each workforce tries to protect her, and that is how most fail. Plum at all times is aware of the place defenses are shepherding her and there’s no WNBA participant higher at avoiding containment. At simply 5 ft 8 inches and because the Sparks’ lead creator, it’s a necessity.
It’s not solely about getting again to her left hand. Extra importantly, Plum is the league’s most prolific screen-rejector — with both hand. Typically, it’s unspectacular. Right here, she catches Kate Martin leaning with a relaxed jab-step, then will get away from the center of the ground to attract strong-side assist and it’s a straightforward move for a nook three that rims out…
With Plum on the helm, reject alternatives are constructed into L.A’s offense, in addition to counters to punish defenders who dwell in concern of rejection. (Who amongst us?) Right here’s a diabolical sequence from earlier this season the place, first, the Sparks use ‘pitch’ motion to let Plum arrange a bonus like a large receiver, faking a minimize right into a downhill alternative. Then, she truly does reject a ball-screen to do it once more. Brutal:
enjoyable KP sequence from earlier this season pic.twitter.com/OGZLa46Lwe
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) August 15, 2025
In rejecting ball-screens, Plum rejects defensive game-plans and all hell breaks unfastened. Assist factors get scrambled and her passing reads get simpler. These performs above resulted in layups, however extra typically, defenses collapse in an unorganized panic, creating straightforward kick-outs to 3-point shooters; Plum has made the third-most threes within the WNBA (76), however she’s assisted on the third-most as effectively (73). That whole (149) leads the league by a lap or two.
Plum isn’t any stranger to carrying a significant offensive load within the WNBA and it’s not precisely novel to reward these abilities in 2025. She’s already been the main scorer on a championship workforce, and her 25.3 p.c utilization price in 2025 is correct in keeping with her post-Achilles common.
However her on-ball abilities are exhilarating and through her first season in Los Angeles, we get to see them extra typically. In response to Synergy Sports activities, simply 21.2 p.c of her discipline objective makes an attempt have been of the catch-and-shoot selection this season, almost halved from 40.1 p.c final season.
She sees extra traps and earlier assist than she’s ever seen in her profession. For the primary time in years, she is the No. 1 precedence on each scouting report. That is what she requested for and she or he’s delivering. Her 59 p.c true taking pictures is three proportion factors increased than it was in 2024 and proper in keeping with her post-Achilles profession.
The Sparks Are Rolling, And Are Extra Than Simply Plum
Los Angeles did begin Plum’s tenure with a troublesome schedule. On July 4, it was simply 5-13, rocking the league’s eighth-best offense and Eleventh-best protection. Discuss a story of two seasons. The Sparks are 11-4 of their final 15 video games and whereas their protection remains to be laughably dangerous, they’ve the WNBA’s perfect offense in that timespan. It’s no Kelsey Plum carry job.
A few of their enchancment is pure development as a unit. Not solely are they enjoying extra lottery-bound groups however gelling underneath a brand new head coach and lead ball-handler takes time. Listed below are two very completely different possessions: In Could, Plum drives round a hedge however not one teammate is recognizing up outdoors the arc, the spacing completely discombobulated. In August, two passes result in a baseline drive, then Rickea Jackson’s sacrifice minimize results in a large open nook three:
Chances are you’ll discover Plum isn’t the one driving and kicking within the second clip. Apart from discovering their move, they’ve additionally built-in an important piece. Julie Allemand was with the Sparks initially of the season however left for almost all of June to steer Belgium to a EuroBasket gold medal.
Since returning, the pass-first guard has began subsequent to Plum within the backcourt, with Jackson, Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens rounding out the beginning 5. This group is on fireplace, posting a 114.3 offensive score in almost 300 minutes, which might simply lead all WNBA groups. Allemand fills a pair wants for the Sparks’ offense. She’s the one starter actually trying to move each time down, averaging extra assists than shot makes an attempt per sport.
Extra importantly, Allemand offers Plum a dependable ball-handler on the opposite aspect of the court docket and may provoke alternatives for her. Plum’s utilization drops 3.5 p.c factors with the Belgian sharing the backcourt, the biggest drop amongst Allemand’s teammates. As well as, 14 p.c extra of her 3-point seems are assisted.
Plum is having an amazing season main L.A.’s offense however a real two ball-handler look has been a godsend, even in bench models. The Sparks signed fellow Belgian guard Julie Vanloo in early July as effectively, and on this possession, she doesn’t create a bonus on the preliminary motion. Nonetheless, the ball finds its option to Plum on the second aspect, with Indiana’s protection shifted a tad out of place. A beautiful re-screen and slip from Hamby offers her a lane to the rim and the assistance is late, a loss of life sentence towards Hamby:
Los Angeles has discovered its offensive stride and thus, it’s discovered the stability for Plum. She’s nonetheless initiating a ton of possessions, however there are extra benefit conditions and tilted flooring for her to assault. Plum’s chemistry together with her former Las Vegas teammate, Hamby, is all the way in which again, re-forming one of many league’s most harmful pick-and-roll combos, with Hamby taking pictures a pristine 61 p.c from two. And if all that doesn’t work out, Stevens and her profession 12 months are on the perimeter, simply ready:
Sparks offense is on fireplace proper now: pic.twitter.com/eGtUUYQjUZ
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) August 15, 2025
You possibly can see why the Sparks are neck and neck with the Atlanta Dream for probably the most mathematically satisfying offense within the league; they take 72.5 p.c of their photographs on the rim or from three, simply behind Atlanta’s 72.6 p.c. Each participant on the Sparks deserves credit score, as does first-year head coach Lynne Roberts. Plum has a brand new house however she isn’t making all of it by herself.
Huge Questions To Reply
Regardless of their 11-4 run to climb again into playoff rivalry, the Sparks nonetheless have main points to unravel. That their protection nonetheless ranks twelfth — that means there may be one workforce worse than them — is horrifying. Plum typically matches up with the opponent’s least threatening participant, however the workforce’s chief does naked accountability for its (lack of) effort. I discover this possession fairly instructive:
Plum doesn’t battle too exhausting on the display screen, however Hamby presents no assist in any respect, and whereas that’s the timeliest Jackson has been on a rotation all season, it’s nonetheless a tad late. Stevens is however a bystander right here, however she’s actually only a large wing masquerading as a middle — opponents shoot 7 p.c higher from two together with her on the ground.
What’s the finest path ahead? Not simply with Los Angeles clawing to make the playoffs however long-term, hoping to retain Plum in free company. Jackson is younger sufficient to enhance defensively and fellow sophomore Cameron Brink looks like a future Defensive Participant of the 12 months. She’s coming off the bench in her return from ACL surgical procedure and pulling this complete group up is yeoman’s work. And are we certain she’s a floor-spacer approaching Stevens’ high quality or a dynamic curler like Hamby?
If not, how optimized should the offense be for Plum? Does it matter her true taking pictures proportion is identical with or with out Allemand sharing the backcourt? Regardless of early season turnover points, Plum is a feather away from the two:1 assist-to-turnover ratio she’s been hovering round her complete profession. Can full-time Brink (at any time when we get there) and an even bigger, defensive-minded backcourt associate drag this protection to respectability? The Sparks are wickedly enjoyable nevertheless it’s not sustainable.
But possibly Plum’s offensive burden is. Possibly, she has confirmed she will be able to lead an elite offense of almost any form.
The Liberty spent a lot of that July 26 sport making use of strain to Plum, even trapping guard-to-guard screens for her. Within the third quarter, she threw a foul turnover proper to Fiebich, who was sitting within the passing lane. Quick ahead to crunch time and on a do-or-die possession, Plum threw one among her finest passes of the season:
With Allemand on the wing, she strings out the double-team, ready for one thing higher. Stevens cuts, and it comes.
Plum is among the extra individually expert guards the W has seen, however there have been — and nonetheless are — questions on her means to actually lead an offense. She is small and may wrestle attempting to drive by a number of our bodies. She goes into chuck mode and did so even when enjoying with three fellow All-Stars on the Aces.
Regardless of all that, the Sparks wager large on her this previous offseason, sacrificing the No. 2 general decide at hand Plum the keys to the franchise. Performs like that enable you to perceive why.
A 12 months after posting the league’s worst file and offensive score, the Sparks are enjoyable once more, creeping towards good. Can Kelsey Plum can take them there? I wouldn’t wager towards her.
All stats are courtesy of PBP Stats and correct previous to video games performed on Aug. 15 until in any other case famous.
