So far, so good. Thank you very much.
“All people were texting me in the offseason: ‘How are you gonna deal with all the personalities?’” Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks’ All-Star forward, recounted recently.
Perhaps by winning?
For all the intrigue fostered by the Sparks’ roster overhaul this offseason, the very early returns – they’re 2-0 after victories in two tight road games coming fewer than 48 hours apart – seem like they could offer some healthy clues.
Derek Fisher’s new-look squad, peppered with talent and personality, has proved a composed and egalitarian group this far. And the Sparks can fly, too.
Through two games, they’re leading the league in pace, averaging 85.41 possessions per 40-minute game. (A year ago, L.A. was 10th of 12 teams in that regard, averaging 78.4 possessions per game.)
They’re also averaging 92.5 points per game to start the season, more than any team but Becky Hammon’s Las Vegas Aces, who have put up an average of 95.5 points in their first two victories.
“I gotta credit JC,” said Ogwumike with a nod to the Sparks’ fleet new point guard Jordin Canada after she led them to a season-opening 98-91 overtime victory Friday against the defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky. “She really pushed the rock to the point that it forces us to run, because we can’t be behind her.”
Or as Brittney Sykes put it, the frenetic activity during stretches of Sunday’s 87-77 win against the Fever “opened up our chest.”
“It may look fun, but we’re pushing our bodies to the max,” said Sykes, whose nine steals so far are the most combined in the first two games by a WNBA player since Renee Montgomery and a big reason the Sparks are leading the league early on with 17 thefts per game.
With 9 steals in her first 2 games, Brittney Sykes swiped the most combined steals in the first 2 games by any player since Renee Montgomery in 2016, and tied for 9th in WNBA history for steals over consecutive games to start the season according to @WBBTimeline #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/9cYCIuEbGX
— Jake Wolf (@JakeWolf13) May 8, 2022
“Coach always tells us, ‘Give a hard three minutes and we got other people on the bench who are more than capable of to come in and give another three minutes and get you a breather,’ ” Sykes added. “That just shows to how we practice, how we prepare, the offseason till now, just being able to get that run in.”
That policy has translated into a fast start.
“It’s pretty cool to say I’m 2-0 and working on 3-0,” said the Sparks’ dynamic new guard Chennedy Carter, who will face her former team Wednesday when the Sparks play in Atlanta against a Dream team that now features Nia Coffey and Erica Wheeler, two players who had major roles last season in L.A.
“The fact that we’re winning and we’re still working on different things says a lot about the team and our capabilities. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us the rest of the season.”
SPARKS (2-0) at DREAM (1-0)
When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Where: Gateway Center Arena, Atlanta
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
“Everything has changed. New team but the goal is still the same…I’m here to win a championship.”@ChennedyCarter on finding success with the team.#TimeToShow pic.twitter.com/lmiJZXQuqE
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) May 8, 2022
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