LOS ANGELES — Playoffs. That’s the first and foremost goal for the Sparks next season, according to Karen Bryant, the team’s general manager and chief administrative officer.
The Sparks finished 17-23 overall this season, ninth in the 12-team league, and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, a franchise record over their 27-year history.
However, the injury- and illness-plagued team never played one game this season with 11 or 12 active players, constantly forced to play shorthanded and sometimes down to eight or nine players, according to Sparks coach Curt Miller.
The Sparks will have two first-round draft picks in 2024. They will have the third-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and another first-round pick from the Las Vegas Aces via compensation as part of the Dearica Hamby trade in January.
As Bryant heads into her second offseason with the Sparks, she said improvement will be a four-pronged approach.
“At the end of the day, there’s three paths to improve, add more talent and build your rosters. It’s through trades, free agency and the draft,” Bryant said during a virtual exit interview on Thursday. “In addition, I’ll name a fourth, which is to continue to develop the talent you have, and we’re going to be relentless in leveraging every single one of those paths to improve our team.”
Recent multi-year contract extensions for potential free agents like Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, Chicago’s Kahleah Copper, and New York’s Betnijah Laney took those three All-Stars off the free agency board for the Sparks.
When constructing next season’s 12-player roster, Bryant said the team will likely feature several familiar faces. Key players like Hamby, Azurá Stevens, Stephanie Talbot, Lexie Brown and Zia Cooke are under contract for next season.
“At this stage, it’s going to look more similar than it looks different,” Bryant said. “We need to add some really important pieces, obviously we’re really hoping that the balls bounce our way in the draft lottery and that will be a key acquisition for us as we continue to get better and also invest in youth … continuity is a really important part of success in this league.”
The 2023 season was the franchise’s first year under the new, collaborative leadership between Bryant and Miller, who previously coached the Connecticut Sun. Both knew, with a 7-13 record at the All-Star break, that not making the postseason was a stark possibility during July’s midseason state of the team address.
The team, which endured a franchise-record eight-game losing streak between June 28 and July 25, nearly reversed those misfortunes with a six-game winning streak in August and finished 10-10 over its last 20 games.
“We won’t shy away that (making the playoffs) starts with great people and you win in the locker room,” said Miller, who made the playoffs for six consecutive years in Connecticut and reached the WNBA Finals in 2022 before taking over in Los Angeles this season. “My career has been defined by building teams and then having sustained success, so what is really important to me is that we continue to build and we build it with great people and we build it in the locker room first. Something that’s attractive to free agents and players throughout the league, but our next step is to get into the playoffs.”
For next season’s positional needs, Miller would like to see “offensive growth” and “more 3-point shooting” and he said he could see the Sparks’ versatile forwards benefiting from adding “a back-to-the-basket post player.”
“None of it will be off the table. We’re excited about improving one way or the other through player acquisition,” Miller said. “We’re not afraid to admit, we need to take a jump up in a lot of areas, but really proud of how we played after the All-Star break, really proud of where the defense came from in May when you’re instituting a totally different philosophy and philosophical approach at the defensive end than what we walked into for the veterans.”
Canada ready to explore free agency
Sparks point guard Jordin Canada emerged as one of the most-improved players in the WNBA, according to Miller. The former Windward High and UCLA star finished with several career highs: 13.3 points per game, 6.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals. She shot 40.4% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc, a 19% improvement from the season before.
Despite her individual success, Canada, 28, was open and honest with the Southern California News Group about wanting to explore free agency.
“We will see where free agency goes,” Canada said. “Obviously, L.A. is special to me and being here and having the opportunity to play the last two seasons. I’m always going to keep my options open and see what would be the best fit for me. But like I said, being here in L.A. is home, but I still would like to keep my options open and see what free agency is like (in 2024).”
A two-time WNBA champion with Seattle, the 5-foot-6 Canada said she will play in Australia during the offseason and will likely be one of the most coveted point guards during free agency.
“I just want to be on a team where we can compete, give great energy and effort, day in and day out, being a part of our organization from top to bottom that is connected, everyone is on the same page and just competing and hopefully being a championship contender,” Canada said during her virtual exit interview Tuesday.
“That is my goal and obviously to get better and improve on some of the things that I need to improve on. That’s where I see my 2024.”
Ogwumike sisters want to be healthy
The last time the Sparks held their own lottery pick in 2012, the organization selected Nneka Ogwumike No. 1 overall. Twelve seasons later, Ogwumike, with 5,883 career points, is on track to overtake Lisa Leslie and her 6,263 points as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer at some point next season.
However, Ogwumike, like Canada, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The All-Star forward averaged 19.1 points and 8.8 rebounds, playing in 36 of her team’s 40 games this season. Ogwumike missed three games during the final week of the season due to what was first reported as a knee injury but Ogwumike later specified to be a back injury.
“When the back talks, you have to listen,” Ogwumike said. “It’s something that I’ve dealt with for a while.”
Ogwumike, 33, shared what she wants her 13th season in the league to look like in 2024.
“If we’re talking high level, obviously, playing as many games healthy as I can,” she said.
Ogwumike’s younger sister, Chiney, was hampered by a foot injury that forced her to miss 30 of the team’s 40 games. Chiney Ogwumike, who averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds, didn’t play in the final 25 games. The Sparks were 5-5 when she played and 12-18 without her.
“Taking it one day at a time,” Chiney Ogwumike, 31, said about the arduous recovery process. “I know the work and I’m just trusting that process and for me and the W (WNBA). The W has been the best thing that has happened to me.”
“Things were tough but we stayed together,” she added.
