The more things change, the more they remain the same. The Los Angeles Sparks have returned to WNBA action, and while they have Dearica Hamby back with a bronze medal from her 3×3 play, Stephanie Talbot bringing a bronze medal from her 5×5 performance with Australia and Sparks head coach Curt Miller helping Team USA earn a 5×5 gold medal, that glory has not transferred to the W.
Instead, Los Angeles has three-straight losses since returning from the break and is now 6-21, tied for the worst record in the league. Here is the good, bad and ugly happening with the Sparks:
The Good
The losses are stacking, but so are Rickea Jackson’s stellar performances. Over the past three games, Jackson has averaged a team-high 13.6 points and 3.3 rebounds. As part of a rookie class that includes generational talents like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, Jackson is making the argument that she belongs in the discussion as one of the best new players in the league.
She has exceeded even the most optimistic projections of what she would be in Los Angeles, and if Jackson can keep up this level of play, she might be the best player on this team right now.
The Bad
With a 40-game season spread across five months, injuries to key players kill a team’s potential more than anything else. And…
