Players Grades: A Sparks midseason report

With the Los Angeles Sparks’ season past the halfway mark, let’s grade their performances over that span.

The Los Angeles Sparks haven't had much success in the win column this season. They sit at 6-18 as we enter the WNBA All-Star break.

The positives have mainly been in the development of their rookies. Cameron Brink was an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate before tearing her ACL and ending her season and Rickea Jackson continues to improve as a starter.

The first-year players have gotten much attention, but Dearica Hamby has shined the brightest. She's having an MVP-level season, made her third All-Star team and will be joining Team USA as a member of the 3x3 team.

With the season halfway done, now is a perfect time to look at how each player has done so far.

So, let's grade their performances. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A "B" grade represents the average performance for that player.

Dearica Hamby

35.2 minutes, 19.2 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 178-342 FG, 23-57 3PT, 82-134 FT, -163

Averaging a double-double night in and night out, Hamby has been far and away the best and most consistent player on this roster. She's been a leader with her play on the court and has also stepped up her vocal leadership.

The rookies, particularly, have gushed about her guidance as they navigate the WNBA world. She's been so good that, despite being an All-Star before, she can potentially be a candidate for the Most Improved Player in the WNBA.

Grade: A+

Cameron Brink

22 minutes, 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 2.3 blocks, 41-103 FG, 10-31 3PT, 21-25 FT, -72

Brink's year may be done, but her 15 games were spectacular. She was a defensive stalwart and won games for this team with her rim protection and blocks alone.

Offensively, she was, at times, timid, but that also improved the more she played and got comfortable looking for her shot.

It's devastating that her season was cut short due to injury, but she will be the face of the franchise at the start of 2025 and, hopefully, for years to come.

Grade: A

Rickea Jackson

26.1 minutes, 11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks, 103-229 FG, 19-60 3PT, 49-64 FT, -129

Jackson's goal was to be the sixth woman on this team, but she quickly earned the starting spot after six games.

She's been starting ever since and her offensive upside is limitless. She's excellent at attacking space and finishing well inside the paint and from midrange. If she can develop a 3-point shot and improve her passing ability, she will become an All-Star.

Given that she is a rookie, it's safe to assume she will have plenty of growth in the years to come and is just as crucial to the Sparks' rebuild as Brink is.

Grade: A

Aari McDonald

23.1 minutes, 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0.3 blocks, 76-187 FG, 28-89 3PT, 43-51 FT, -75

McDonald has had her fair share of ups and downs this year. She struggled at the start of the season, spending time on the bench and reminding you of why whenever she was on the court.

Since then, she's solidified her role and proven to be a quality guard for Los Angeles. The starting spot is now hers and will likely remain that way for the rest of the season.

Grade: B

Li Yueru

12.8 minutes, 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.2 blocks, 36-73 FG, 2-6 3PT, 28-32 FT, -59

Yueru had some highlight performances in June, but her July was a struggle. She hasn't broken double-digits in points all month but has been one of the team's better rebounders.

The Chinese big was always going to be a project and so far, there have been enough good moments to think she could one day be a starter or a significant backup for a winning team.

Grade: C

Kia Nurse

21.8 minutes, 7.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 60-169 FG, 31-102 3PT, 30-39 FT, -132

Nurse has been disappointing this season. She can't consistently knock down open looks and defensively, she is average on the perimeter.

Maybe her time with Canada in the Olympics will bolster her confidence. Right now, she seems like a quality backup guard forced to play starter minutes due to a lack of depth at that position.

Grade: C-

Layshia Clarendon

16.2 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, 32-74 FG, 7-20 3PT, 20-23 FT, -44

Clarendon provides the Sparks with veteran leadership but not much else. They can't score in bunches and the defensive effort is there, but against the best guards, they get overpowered.

Now, in a reduced role, they are slotted correctly on the depth chart, but this team needs more than Clarendon can provide.

Grade: C-

Rae Burrell

13.7 minutes, 5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, 26-77 FG, 14-38 3PT, 40-48 FT, -49

Burrell couldn't see the floor to start the season, but now she's gained a role and is playing well. She's putting up the best number of her career and had an impressive 18-point night against the Storm in L.A.'s final game before the break.

If she keeps up this play, the second half of her year will be even better than her first.

Grade: B

Zia Cooke

9.2 minutes, 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 23-78 FG, 7-27 3PT, 15-21 FT, -13

Cooke hasn't gotten much run this year, so assessing her play is difficult. The most glaring thing is that coach Miller has not given her a more extended look despite the team needing an upgrade at the guard position.

Sure, she's had a couple of games where she played for double-digit minutes, but they've been few and far between.

If the season continues to feature more losses than wins, maybe she'll get a longer look and we can see if Cooke is part of the Spark's future or not.

Grade: C+

Azurá Stevens

32 minutes, 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.5 blocks, 21-41 FG, 8-15 3PT, 9-9 FT, +8

Now that Steven is back after missing most of the season with a left arm injury, we can see how good she can be under Miller's system. It's only been a few games, but she's putting up career numbers in points, rebounds and assists.

If she keeps this up, she may finally reach her full potential here in Los Angeles in ways she couldn't in Chicago or Dallas.

Grade: B+

Lexie Brown

23.7 minutes, 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 42-131 FG, 21-69 3PT, 24-27 FT, -40

Unfortunately, Brown has missed a lot of time due to her Crohn's disease. Obviously, her health is the top priority and that comes before paying another minute in the WNBA.

During her play this season, it's been a struggle. Teams are well aware of her 3-point shooting ability and the spacing she received in 2023 is now gone. They double her, fight hard over screens and are very physical once she has the ball.

She'll have to adjust and improve her handling of this newfound attention if she wants to remain an effective player on the perimeter.

Grade: C

Stephanie Talbot

15.8 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.5 steals, 31-67 FG, 10-28 3PT, 12-17 FT, -9

Talbot is a responsible veteran for the Sparks. She doesn't make many mistakes but also doesn't do much to stand out. She is a solid replacement player, but this team needs more of a boost to win more than they have.

Grade: C

Curt Miller

Evaluating the head coach of a 6-18 team is tough. On the one hand, your record is what you are; based on that, this team is bad. However, context is needed and given the roster he is working with, how much better can this team be?

Overall, I think Miller has done a good job.

He went with Jackson starting early, which was the right move. Miller was a bit late in implementing Burrell and I feel he was too quick to remove Brown from the starting five. He should also be giving Cooke more time over the older guards.

All in all, Miller has done a fine job, but next year, this seat will get hot if they can't start winning games.

Grade: B

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.