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Armed with decorated new head coach Lynne Roberts and three-time All-Star former Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum, the Los Angeles Sparks are looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020 this year.
Plum will join her old fellow 2022 Aces champ, Dearica Hamby, with an eye towards repeating their prior playoff success.
But L.A. will likely need to see its two highly touted second-year frontcourt stars, small forward Rickea Jackson and power forward Cameron Brink, take major performative leaps if the team hopes to do more than just be a tough first round out.
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How much better can Jackson and Brink be this year — especially since Brink missed most of her rookie season due to an ACL tear?
Brink, the more highly-regarded prospect of the two, appeared in just 15 games before going down with that costly knee injury.
The 6-foot-4 Stanford product, 23, was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in a loaded 2024 WNBA Draft, sandwiched between No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark and No. 3 pick Kamilla Cardoso.
In 21.9 minutes a night, Brink posted a fairly modest scoring average of 7.5 points a night on .398/.323/.840 shooting splits, but she also chipped in 5.3 boards, 2.3 rejections, 1.7 dimes and 1.1 steals a night.
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Seen as the defense-first heir apparent to two-time former Sparks MVP power forward/center Candace Parker, Brink has tantalizing upside, but it might be unrealistic to expect her to reach All-Star status while recuperating from one of the most devastating injuries in the game.
Jackson, though, presents a more intriguing short-term case.
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The 6-foot-2 forward was drafted with the No. 4 pick out of Tennessee, just behind Cardoso, and enjoyed a far healthier, more prolific scoring run.
Jackson, 24, was named to the 2024 All-Rookie First Team, while posting encouraging averages of 13.4 points on .456/.347/.807 shooting splits, 3.9 boards, 1.5 dishes, and 0.7 steals a night.
Assuming Brink’s journey back to her first-year former takes longer, Jackson seems to be the likelier fit to join Plum and Hamby on the 2025 All-Star team.
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For the latest Los Angeles Sparks news and notes, stay glued to Los Angeles Sparks On SI.
