Sparks pacing themselves, treating shortened WNBA season like a marathon
Be quick, but don’t hurry; there’s a long, shortened 22-game season ahead.
After going months without playing high-level hoops, or, in many cases, without hooping at all, the veteran-laden Sparks are determined to ease into competitive basketball now that they’re together in the “Wubble” at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
“Physically, for sure, everybody’s behind where they normally would be at this point in the training camp,” Sparks Coach Derek Fisher said Sunday on a Zoom video chat with reporters, noting that, typically, players tend to arrive game-ready, either because they’re coming in soon after finishing their seasons overseas or arriving just a few weeks after finishing their college careers.
“So from a physical standpoint, I think we’re a little bit behind or not where everybody’s accustomed to being,” Fisher added. “But on the flip side of that, from a relationship standpoint, the bonds and the connections that we have with each other … taking advantage of those months when we were not physically in the same spaces, with virtual meetings … our entire organization is just closer and in a better place than we were a year ago.
“I think that will translate on the court once we can catch up to ourselves physically.”
Fisher suggested that he’ll be generous with minutes early on, hoping to keep as many of his players healthy as the season progresses following the July 25 tip-off. In his first season last year, he guided the Sparks to a 22-12 record and the No. 3 seed before they were swept in the WNBA semifinals. It was a learning experience, Fisher said, leading a team that incorporated five new players and was missing members — because of injury, an overseas commitment or suspension — for a combined 73 games.
“If we have 12 players available opening weekend, I wouldn’t be surprised if all 12 played,” Fisher said Sunday. “Even if it’s just three or four minutes in spurts, to try and just give everyone a chance to learn how to play basketball in a game setting again. I don’t think there’s gonna be a safer way to do it, honestly, when you consider what these players have experienced and how limited they’ve been in preparing themselves.
“We have a responsibility to our players to do right by them.”
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said she carefully weighed injury concerns before she committed to playing in Florida.
“For me, health was a big one,” she said. “Not just COVID, but also the circumstances of not playing for five months and then entering high-performance kind of rigor quite quickly.”
Point guard Chelsea Gray was fortunate enough to have a hoop at home to practice shooting, she said, although she acknowledged, “it’s never the same as being inside a gym and competing — you can hit a lot of shots without defense.”
And shooting guard Riquna Williams said she arrived in Bradenton in fine shape, having dedicated herself to weightlifting and cardio during the long break, but “nothing on a basketball court.”
“I’m definitely trying to get back into it slowly,” Williams said. “Step by step.”
