Season Preview: The Los Angeles Sparks
Previewing the Los Angeles Sparks' 2023 season
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Heading into the offseason, Los Angeles needed a reset to put the team back on the right track. They missed the playoffs after a tumultuous season that would see a coach and general manager fired, a star acquisition leave mid-season, and a 13-23 record.
The Sparks went to work during the offseason.
Coaching Search
On June 7, 2022, Los Angeles parted ways with head coach and general manager Derek Fisher and named Fred Williams its interim head coach. Under Williams, Los Angeles lost 16 of its next 24 games. After the 2022 regular season, the Sparks announced the departure of Williams, who became the associate head coach at Auburn University. This led the Sparks to conduct a search for a new leader.
On Oct. 21, the Sparks tagged Curt Miller as their new head coach. Last season, Miller led the Sun to their second WNBA Finals appearance in four seasons. Although the Sun lost to the Las Vegas Aces, the hiring of Miller instantly gave legitimacy to a Sparks franchise looking to wash its hands of the 2022 season. A two-time WNBA Coach of the Year and 2017 WNBA Executive of the Year, Miller is also top-15 in all-time regular season wins. This isn’t Miller’s first role in Hollywood. He served as an assistant for the Sparks in 2015 before taking the job with Connecticut. For Sparks fans, Miller is a coach capable of taking the team to its first Finals appearance since 2017.
Executive Decisions
With the dismissal of Derek Fisher, the Sparks were essentially operating without a defined general manager. However, on Jan. 3, 2023, the Sparks named Karen Bryant their new GM and Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, Bryant held various roles during a 15-year career with the Seattle Storm, including President and Chief Executive Officer. During her time in Seattle, the Storm would bring two championships to the state of Washington. The presence of someone like Bryant, in conjunction with Miller, adds credibility to the Sparks.
Talented Acquisitions
The Sparks were one of the teams that had cap space to spend and some parts to move. Going into the offseason, the Sparks were projected to have $996,101 in cap space (factoring in the incomplete roster charge for teams under 10 players, the Sparks effectively started at $684,676 in space).
Jan. 16: The Sparks brought one of Miller’s players from Connecticut to Venice, trading for Jasmine Thomas as well as the Sun’s 10th overall 2023 draft pick. In exchange, the Sparks sent Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jasmine Walker, and the negotiating rights to Kianna Smith.
Jan. 21: The Sparks were part of a blockbuster trade, acquiring the two-time Sixth Player of the Year, Dearica Hamby, and an additional 2024 first-round pick from Las Vegas. The Sparks gave up the negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second-round pick.
Feb. 1: The Sparks signed Stephanie Talbot (2 years/$112,000, $115,000). Previously a member of the Storm, Talbot showcased her abilities as a possible 3-and-D wing and was valuable in Seattle’s semifinal matchup against eventual champion Las Vegas. Los Angeles will be without Talbot in 2023, who suffered a torn ACL while playing overseas. As the injury occurred overseas, the Sparks are able to remove Talbot’s salary for 2023 from their books.
Feb. 3: The Sparks signed Azurá Stevens (2 years/$190,000, $195,000). This signing was a coup for Los Angeles, as Stevens was seen as one of the best available centers in the free agency market. Not only is she an elite shot-blocker (seventh in total blocks last season), Stevens can stretch the floor, shooting 36.2% on 116 attempted threes in 2022. Per GM Karen Bryant: “Azurá was our number one free agent target”. Upon her signing, Curt Miller had this to say: “At 6-foot-6, she has outstanding versatility to play effectively on the inside and on the perimeter.”
Talented Retentions
The Sparks made sure in free agency to keep some of its unrestricted free agents.
Feb. 1: Los Angeles re-signed Lexie Brown (2 years/$78,000, $80,340). In 2022, Brown was one of the Sparks’ premier snipers, knocking down the long ball at nearly a 40% clip.
Feb. 22: The Sparks re-signed Chiney Ogwumike (1 year/$90,000). Last season, Ogwumike provided Los Angeles with hustle, crashing the glass on both ends of the floor.
Feb. 24: In what was the franchise’s most important re-signing, Nneka Ogwumike re-signed with Los Angeles (1 year/$169,500). A former MVP and champion with the Sparks, Ogwumike could have left for nothing. But one thing to consider is that her current deal is only for one season. An extension is not possible as it can only be signed if the original contract was for two or more seasons. Additionally, Ogwumike cannot be cored again.
From left to right: Jasmine Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike and Lexie Brown (photo credit: Los Angeles Sparks)
Training Camp Toughness
In addition to Los Angeles’ talented acquisitions and retentions, the team also signed players to training camp contracts (TCs). TCs do not count on the teams’ books until the first day of the regular season, so teams will often sign a cast of players to gauge their potential usefulness on the roster.
The players signed to TCs are Jordin Canada, Layshia Clarendon, Reshanda Gray, Joyner Holmes, Karlie Samuelson, Yang Liwei, and Crystal Bradford. Canada is an interesting name to see on the list, considering she was the Sparks’ starting point guard for most of the 2022 campaign. Cap space spent elsewhere may have limited the Sparks’ ability to splurge on Canada. But Los Angeles is her hometown, and after a terrific showing in Athletes Unlimited (AU), she may have a spot on the final roster. Clarendon and Bradford also spent time in AU and will look to compete for the few roster spots available. Samuelson, Gray, and Holmes all have previous experience in the W and are looking to find themselves on a roster this year. Samuelson is the sister of Katie Lou, who will be missing the 2023 season due to pregnancy. Liwei previously represented the Chinese National Team and is looking for what could be her first WNBA minutes.
Draft Capital/Youthful Prospects
In the trades for Jasmine Thomas and Dearica Hamby, the Sparks found themselves going from not having any first-round picks in 2023 to having one in the 2023 draft and two in 2024.
Los Angeles held the 10th, 14th, and 26th picks in last month’s draft and selected:
Zia Cooke (10th overall pick): At South Carolina, Cooke cemented herself as one of the NCAA’s best two-way guards, playing a key role in the Gamecocks’ 2022 national championship. The winner of the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (given to the best collegiate shooting guard in the country), Cooke’s ability to affect the game on both ends was something noted by Curt Miller, who said “She was the best two-way player available and can impact the game at both the offensive and defensive ends.”
Shaneice Swain (14th overall pick): Shaneice Swain is a name that might not be instantly familiar to W fans. But at just 19 years old, there is potential for the Australian. Currently playing in the semi-professional NBL One for the Cairns Dolphins, Swain is averaging just about 23 points per contest. Swain also has experience in the professional WNBL and averaged just under 15 points. Sparks GM Karen Bryant on the selection of Swain: “Our staff was really impressed with Shaneice’s skillset, and we think her upside is high.”
Monika Czinano (26th overall pick): Czinano, like Cooke, became a notable name at the collegiate level playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. She was a big part of their 2023 run to the national championship game, establishing herself as one of the top post players in the country. GM Bryant had this to say on the team’s drafting of Czinano: “After our first two picks, we focused on adding to our post core, and we were excited Monika was available.”
*Note that the first year of rookie-scale contracts operates the same as a training camp contract*
The Sparks have a cache of prospects and future draft picks that can be used to acquire more prospects or be packaged in a trade for other assets. This establishes some long-term plays for the franchise, which is important as many contracts on the roster are set to expire within the next two years.
Theatrical Release
On March 17, the Sparks announced that they waived Chennedy Carter. This was a surprise to many, as Los Angeles gave away some crucial assets to acquire her during the Derek Fisher era. Additionally, considering she was in the fourth year of her rookie scale contract, which is guaranteed, Los Angeles is essentially eating up cap space with this move. Although there is no reported purpose for this move, a relic of the Fisher era is now gone.
Now that we have recapped the 2022 season and subsequent offseason, let’s look at some things the Sparks may aim to do differently in 2023:
Let it Fly
Last season, the Sparks ranked last in virtually every 3-point shooting metric. With the hiring of Miller, fans may have concerns about that changing, considering the Sun were 11th and 10th in attempts in 2022 and 2021, respectively. But, Miller could put out a starting lineup where every member is capable of knocking down the three. This was typically not the case in Connecticut with lineups that had either Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, or both.
The only non-TC members of the roster to average fewer than two 3-pointers per game in the W last season are Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. Although Nneka averaged only 1.7 attempts per contest, she shot 36.8% on 57 attempts, her best 3-point shooting performance in a season with at least 50 attempts. Chiney is not known for her outside shot, only shooting 10 total in her first six seasons. But in 2022, she shot 44.4% on 18 threes attempted and has shown off her outside shot thus far in training camp.
Crash the Boards
The Sparks were near the bottom in almost every rebounding statistic in 2022. This means they gave up second-chance opportunities to opponents and didn’t generate enough second-chance opportunities on offense. A frontcourt with players such as Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby, Chiney Ogwumike and Azurá Stevens can fix that. Nneka Ogwumike was 16th in total rebounds this past season. But in other seasons she has ranked as high as in the top five. Hamby was 12th in total rebounds in 2022, including a 19-rebound effort against the Seattle Storm. That was tied for the second-most rebounds in a regular season game that year (behind only Sylvia Fowles’ 20-rebound effort). Chiney ranked eighth in the W last season in rebounds per 40 minutes.
When it comes to Stevens, critics may highlight the fact that she has not averaged more than six rebounds per game. But that’s at least partially a function of playing behind solid rebounders like Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, and Cheyenne Parker. But Stevens has the size and mobility to compete for boards down low. Pair that with either Nneka, Chiney or Hamby and you have a competitive rebounding frontcourt.
Just Win, Baby!
Given the talent that Los Angeles has brought in, it is hard to see the Sparks having a season worse than 2022. Granted, the dynamic of the WNBA has drastically changed. There are superteams in New York and Las Vegas. Also, there is what looks to be a defensive juggernaut in Washington. However, outside of those three, the rest of the league is up in the air, and Los Angeles can position itself to be among the W’s upper echelon. It’s all about execution. With players that can address the Sparks’ shortcomings last season and more, Los Angeles can (with pun intended) let Sparks fly this season.
Los Angeles has a preseason and regular season series against the Mercury to open up its 2023 WNBA season. Its regular season opener against Phoenix (May 19th) is at Crypto.com Arena and kicks off at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.