Sparks seek up-tempo style with new additions McDonald, Nurse, Billings
The Sparks' 2024 roster will be a mix of newly acquired veterans and young players, likely including two lottery picks but Coach Curt Miller said he still expects this year's team to win despite the influx of new faces.
“Four straight years before I left Connecticut, (we were) in the (WNBA) semifinals and Finals. I'm wired as a coach to win,” Miller said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “We are going to work our tails off to win. No promises where we're going to be but that's the expectation that this team will win.”
Miller said he believes experienced guards Kia Nurse and Aari McDonald, both recently added via separate trades that also netted the Sparks the Nos. 4 and No. 8 picks respectively, and analytically underrated free agent forward Monique Billings, will help the Sparks play an up-tempo style with the brand of physicality that Miller's teams are known for.
The Sparks were 17-23 overall last season and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, which is the longest streak in the franchise's 27-year history.
For the first time in 13 seasons, the Sparks will be playing without 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, an unrestricted free agent who signed with the Seattle Storm on Monday.
“Obviously, with the loss of Nneka, there's holes to fill when it comes to that leadership but I think there's a lot of opportunity that comes with that,” said Billings, who played locally at UCLA and Santiago High in Corona before being selected 15th overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by Atlanta. “That excites me so I think it's going to be something that we'll figure out once obviously we start being around each other, practicing, getting that chemistry, getting in the flow.”
If the Sparks are going to play fast, McDonald, the No. 3 selection in the 2021 draft by Atlanta, might be the point guard to lead the team into a new era. The lightning-quick McDonald, who was acquired in a trade for outgoing point guard Jordin Canada, said she believes she's a great fit for Miller's pick-and-roll-heavy, fastpaced system.
“I would say keep being confident, keep being myself,” McDonald said. “Just keep telling myself do what has got you here and has gotten you this far and keep working on my game. Always do extra work.”
Nurse, a 2019 All-Star, was the 10th pick of the 2018 draft by the New York Liberty. Nurse, who missed the 2022 season while recovering from a torn ACL, averaged 5.9 points per game for Seattle last season.
However, she is hoping to regain her All-Star form in her second year back from injury, especially because the Sparks' roster does not have a host of predefined go-to players.
“I think that's what's special about this roster right now,” Nurse said. “If you listen to what Aari was talking about, obviously having the ability to play in a place where you feel like you can be yourself is a big piece of that and in those earlier years, I did feel like myself. I went to Australia and had a couple good offseasons there as well and the confidence built and that was a big piece of it.
“The last couple of years have been a little bit more difficult in the league, but I've been in different roles than I was in New York those first two years. Last year to me personally is a bit of a write-off because you're coming off an ACL and I don't think I really knew what it was going to be like.”
The Sparks, who have three firstround picks (Nos. 2, 4 and 8) in the April 15 draft, see a lot of potential and value in current and future WNBA drafts.
“There's a lot of attention on the '24 class, the '25 class, but I'm aware of what the 2025, '26, '27, what's coming and I don't see it stopping,” said Sparks general manager Raegen Pebley, who was hired in early January.
Brown returns
The Sparks also announced that veteran guard Lexie Brown signed a two-year contract extension Tuesday. In her second season with the Sparks last year, she averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 assists and shot 41.5% from 3-point range before missing the majority of the season with a lingering non-COVID illness that she described as a bacterial infection that nearly turned septic.
“Anyone familiar with my career knows that it hasn't always been easy and finding a home with the Sparks organization has been such a blessing,” Brown said. “They have allowed me to be myself and walk in my light since day one.
“I'm really excited for the future and being a veteran leader of this super-talented team. I can't thank everyone in the organization enough for believing in me and supporting me. This is an opportunity that I've been waiting for and working so hard for.”