Sparks’ fast start this season is by design
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, said 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
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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 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.
“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.”