Lynne Roberts gives candid assessment of Sparks’ difficult season
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks have dropped three straight games and currently own an 8-11 record, leaving them 11th in the WNBA standings. After bolstering the roster with experienced players such as Nneka Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins, and Erica Wheeler, the team expected to be in a much stronger position. Despite the disappointing start, head coach Lynne Roberts remains confident the Sparks can get back on track.
Los Angeles has been without two key contributors, Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink, both sidelined by injuries with no definitive return dates. Plum is recovering from a lower leg injury, while Brink continues to rehab an ankle issue. Although those absences have taken a toll on the team’s performance, Roberts insists they haven’t altered the organization’s long-term expectations or increased the pressure she feels.
“The plan is still the plan. We’ve only had one game this season with our full roster available, and that’s the reality,” Roberts said during her pregame media availability ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Fever. “We’re missing our top offensive player and our top defensive player, and we’ve been without them for weeks. That obviously has a major impact.”
Roberts added that any pressure she feels comes from within rather than from outside criticism.
“The only pressure I have is the pressure I put on myself to succeed,” she said. “I’m not on social media, so I don’t know what people are saying, and honestly, I don’t care. I know the work we’re putting in behind the scenes and how committed everyone is to finding solutions. Our goals haven’t changed. We’re just not as close to reaching them as we’d like to be, but I believe we’ll get there.”
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