While most of us are anxiously anticipating the day the WNBA season begins, let’s take a Pre-Season Peek into each team across the league.
How are the Los Angeles Sparks are planning to play this upcoming season? This off-season free agency and the trading period has been a steal for the Sparks. During the free agency and trading period, they acquired talented players. These players include Kristi Toliver, Seimone Augustus, Brittney Sykes, Kristine Anigwe, and Marie Gulich. This team is filled with players who are new to LA, but they are all very talented.
Pre-Season Peek: Guard Play
A Pre-Season Peek for the LA Sparks is utilizing veteran guards. All of the guards on the roster have at least three years of playing experience. They also acquired many of these veteran guards through trade and free agency. While some guards such as Chelsea Gray and Riquna Williams are returning to this team, many new guards will be stepping on the court for the first time as a player for the Sparks. Kristi Toliver and Brittney Sykes are two examples of veteran guards that joined the team during the off-season. This team will utilize experience along with talent in their players to help them be successful.
Toliver helped lead Washington Mystics to their first WNBA championship in 2019. She will be a great leader for the Sparks both on and off the court. She has both a high FG and 3P percentage that will help the Sparks stretch the floor. In addition to Toliver, Sykes will be joining the team after a trade with the Atlanta Dream. Sykes was a large contributor for the Dream and will bring quick scoring to the basket for the Sparks. Another new addition will be G/PF Seimone Augustus a free agent from the Minnesota Lynx. She is a strong player and if she plays at the guard position, she will be difficult to stop. The guards that are returning for the Sparks will continue to be large contributors to the team in many aspects such as scoring and assisting. During this upcoming season, the Sparks will utilize their veteran guards.
Pre-Season Peek: Post Play
The Pre-Season Peek for the Los Angeles Sparks includes versatile and experienced post players. Joining the already talented post players will be Kristine Anigwe, Seimoine Augustus, and Marie Gulich. They were able to trade to obtain Anigwe and Gulich, while Augustus was a free agent. The Sparks have many returners that are quite experienced such as Candace Parker and sister duo Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. These post players are very versatile and are able to stretch the floor. The Sparks have both height and skill with their post players. They will definitely not lack when rebounding and scoring in the paint. This team will definitely utilizing their veterans and will play with an experienced resume.
Candace Parker has been a huge player for the Sparks over the years. Her versatility and height is a huge contributor to the team’s success. Nneka Ogwumike has been a large contributor to their success as well. Parker and Nneka Ogwumike have been a dynamic duo over the years. Nneka’s sister Chiney joined the Sparks in April 2019 and brought height to the team. Chiney, Nneka, and Candace were a powerful post trio this past season and helped lead their team to the semi-finals. The Sparks are for sure not struggling in rebounding and with the addition to Augustus, Anigwe, and Gulich there will be no question of rebounding and points in the paint for sure. Parker suffered a knee injury for a majority of the past season and required many players to step up. This year, the Sparks definitely made sure they had talented post player backups. No matter what post player is on the court the team will be in good hands. The post players on the roster will bring both experience and new talent that will help the team find success.
Moving Forward
The Sparks ended up number one in the Western Conference this past season with a record of 22-12. This team had a very successful campaign despite losing Parker for part of the season due to injury. The Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm by a score of 92-69 to make it to the semi-finals. The Sparks then faced the Connecticut Sun in the semi-finals but ended up losing the series 3-0 for the Sun to advance to the finals. Last season the Sparks had the team to be able to make it to the finals but fell short to the Sun. This team used this negative to help improve themselves during the off-season. With the addition of many new players, this team’s success can only go up. It is easy to expect this team to be a huge contender to make it far into the playoffs and maybe even win the championship.
