Los Angeles Sparks coach Lynne Roberts isn’t hiding from reality. Her team is 8-11, stuck on a three-game losing streak and sitting 11th in the WNBA standings. But she’s also not interested in excuses, even if she has legitimate ones.
The Sparks added veterans Nneka Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler in the offseason with playoff ambitions. Instead they’re without Kelsey Plum (lower leg) and Cameron Brink (ankle) for the foreseeable future. No timeline on either return. That’s their best offensive player and best defensive player both out indefinitely.
“The plan was the plan. We’ve had one game where we’ve had everybody healthy so that is what it is,” Roberts said before Wednesday’s game against Indiana. “We’re missing our best offensive player and best defensive player, and we have been for weeks. And that’s impactful.”
Roberts shrugs off outside noise
When asked about pressure, Roberts made it clear she’s not checking social media or reading hot takes. She doesn’t care what anyone outside the organization thinks.
“The pressure I feel is just pressure I put on myself to succeed. I’m not online. I don’t know what’s being said and I don’t care because I know what we’re doing behind the walls and how hard we’re guiding to figure things out,” Roberts said. “But the goalposts haven’t moved. We just aren’t close to them as we want to be but we’ll get there. I guarantee it.”
That’s a strong guarantee for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. Five straight years without a postseason appearance. Multiple coaching changes. Roster overhauls. The Sparks were once a WNBA powerhouse and they’re still trying to dig out of the hole.
History suggests they’re not done yet
Last year at this point the Sparks were 6-13. They went 8-2 over their next 10 games and nearly snuck into the playoffs, finishing 21-23 and one game behind Seattle. That run came after Brink and Rae Burrell returned from injury. Roberts is hoping for a similar spark this time around, even without a clear return date for Plum or Brink.
“I think it’s got to be the sum of the parts. We’ve got to be connected. We’re missing 36 points a game. You can’t make that up with just subbing in one player,” Roberts said. “So it’s got to be the sum of the parts is bigger than the whole. I think we can be dangerous team too, but we’ve got to play connected for 40 minutes.”
That math is brutal. Thirty-six points per game between Plum and Brink. No single player can replace that. It has to come from everyone on the floor, and it has to come together fast before the season slips away entirely.
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