When the Los Angeles Sparks nearly tripled their win total last season, jumping from 8 to 21 wins and just missing the playoffs, it was obvious the roster needed some upgrades. So they went out and signed Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins, two proven veterans with All-Star résumés and the kind of defensive edge the team had been missing. Good move, right? Except nothing in the WNBA comes together overnight.
Through the first half of the 2026 season, both guards have been searching for consistency. The Sparks have had to shuffle roles more than once, especially after star guard Kelsey Plum went down with a leg injury. Atkins has moved from the three back to her natural shooting guard spot. Wheeler started the season coming off the bench, then slid into the starting lineup to give the offense another ball-handler alongside Plum. That all changed when Plum got hurt.
But something clicked in the Sparks’ 102-87 win over the Chicago Sky last Friday. Wheeler and Atkins combined for 32 points on 56.9 percent shooting. Then even in a loss to the Atlanta Dream on Monday that snapped a two-game win streak, they put up 33 points on 47.7 percent from the field. For head coach Lynne Roberts, this was always the plan. Let the vets play their way into a rhythm.
Roberts trusts the process
Roberts said before the Dream game that the duo’s adjustment period was expected. “Those are two All-Stars, and Ariel’s an Olympian. Change is hard. Coming into a new system is hard. Playing with new players that are great players is hard. Playing for a new coaching staff is hard, new city, and it just takes time,” Roberts said. “I think they’re just finding their footing. It’s like finding your sea legs on a ship. They’re trying to find their sea legs, figure out where their impact can be.”
The timeline shifted when Plum got hurt, but the coaching staff hasn’t heard any second-guessing from either player. “I think they were kind of figuring that out, and then KP got hurt and so now it’s changed and again, that takes some time,” Roberts added. “But I’m really proud of how they’ve both hung in there. It hasn’t been any second guessing. They’re just trying their hardest to get it right and I feel like they’re heading in the right direction.”
Numbers still need work
At the halfway mark of the season, after Game 22 against Atlanta, the numbers aren’t flashy. Wheeler is averaging 8.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals, but shooting just 37.3 percent from the field and 26.4 percent from deep. Atkins is putting up 9.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, but only hitting 36.9 percent of her shots and 26.6 percent from three. Those numbers need to climb if the Sparks are going to stay in the playoff race.
But if the last two games are any sign, the veteran backcourt is starting to look comfortable. And with Plum likely out for a while, the Sparks can’t afford to wait much longer for the chemistry to feel natural. These two didn’t come to Los Angeles to be a work in progress. They came to win. And now they’re starting to look like the players the front office counted on.
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