The Los Angeles Sparks have drafted seven first-round picks in the last six years, including two lottery selections. Only two players remain attached to the longest active rebuild in the WNBA.

Failing to reach the playoffs since 2020, Los Angeles owns the longest active playoff drought in the league. After 20 years as a head coach in the college ranks and nearly a decade as a color commentator on the Dallas Wings’ broadcast, the Sparks hired former WNBA player Raegan Pebley as general manager, despite lacking experience in the role. Pebley’s first swing to restore the Sparks’ legacy as one of the “Original 8” franchises was to pair another top collegiate athlete with the No. 2 overall pick, who turned out to be Cameron Brink.

In her first transaction as general manager, Pebley traded a 2026 first-round pick to the Seattle Storm for veteran guard Kia Nurse and Seattle’s lottery pick (No. 4), which was used to draft Rickea Jackson. With All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins in tow, Storm general manager Talisa Rhea planned for the future and managed an exit out of a two-timeline approach if the team failed to bring a fifth title to the PNW.

“Rickea Jackson is a competitor that will complement our quick style of play very well,” said Pebley after the 2024 draft. “She proved herself as a leader and go-to scorer on her team at Tennessee and led multiple categories in the SEC. Rickea has so much versatility in how she can score and who she can defend. We are excited about the potential she brings with her to become a dynamic player on both ends of the floor.”

In an attempt to add guard and post depth to the rebuild, Pebley traded another first-rounder, this time to the Chicago Sky, for Julie Allemand and Li Yueru. Allemand stayed overseas for the 2024 season and eventually reported in 2025. On paper, Los Angeles appeared to have a talented roster with a good combination of youth and veteran experience. But an 8-32 record revealed a team built overnight with the expectation of reaching the postseason. Time was required to build chemistry for the years ahead. Instead, Pebley made two decisions that will define her tenure with the Sparks and the trajectory of one of the league’s most prestigious franchises.

The first was hiring former Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts to replace Curt Miller, despite having no experience at this level. Roberts spent 27 years in the college ranks before making the jump to the pros. Her last three seasons in Salt Lake City were arguably the most successful of her career, where she led the Utes to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, powered by an offense that led the nation in field goal attempts at the rim and beyond the arc, second in overall offensive rating, and third in effective field goal percentage. These teams ranked fifth among all DI schools in three-pointers made in those three years.

Roberts’ preferred shot profile relies on an aggressive attack dominated by deep-paint touches and three-pointers, with little room for the mid-range game. However, it remains a principal component for hoisting a championship in the WNBA. In Roberts’ last full season leading the Utes, they shot 95 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, at the rim, or in the paint. The Utes tallied just five percent of their attempts from mid-range. In Roberts’ first season with the Sparks in 2025, the team led the league in rim frequency (34.9%), rim field-goal attempts (23.4), and rim field-goal makes (15.7), shooting a third-best 66.9 percent on them. Los Angeles also led the league in average two-point distance (4.8 ft), meaning that the healthy majority of their two-pointers were in the restricted area.

As for the midrange, the Sparks averaged an astonishing three percent of their twos from that area on the floor, the lowest regular-season mark for a team in WNBA history. It rose slightly to five percent in 2026. For reference, the 2024 New York Liberty team is the only one in league history to win a championship after shooting less than 10 percent from the midrange in the regular season. Though Roberts’ collegiate teams saw much success from three-point range, the Sparks have yet to shoot better than league average under her. Last season, they shot a middling 33.7 percent (8th) from deep on the sixth-most attempts (25.6). Through 18 games in 2026, the team is shooting the same percentage.

In the last handful of seasons, teams across the WNBA have hired head coaches who spent most of their careers in the NBA as assistants, and a select few D1 coaches who see the WNBA as a stable and lucrative opportunity comparable to the college game or other leagues — a clear shift in perception after decades of neglect. After defeating the Minnesota Lynx to advance to the Finals last season, Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts admitted that he took a chance coming to the WNBA after years of being “overlooked” for head coaching jobs in the NBA. They all share from the same pot, bringing the perimeter-oriented, pace-and-space style of basketball to the WNBA. Teams across the league made a clear shift in their hiring practices, seeking out thought leaders who embedded advanced analytics and new processes into their philosophies and player development.

Aces coach Becky Hammon was the first of her kind, bringing the core principles she learned over seven seasons under the tutelage of legendary five-time NBA champion coach Gregg Popovich during the most transformative era the sport has ever seen. Hammon is by far the most successful of her era, boasting three championships and a Coach of the Year Award with several close finishes for more in less than five seasons in the desert. After 23 years in the NBA coaching pipeline, Tibbetts guided Phoenix to the Finals in his second season at the helm. Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko spent nearly two decades at Florida Gulf Coast University, where threes and layups were championed, and non-paint twos were viewed as insufficient. In his first season in Atlanta, Smesko led the Dream to its best regular-season record in franchise history and a tie for the second-best record in the league (30-14). Through 20 games, Atlanta averages just 1.1 percent of its two-pointers from the midrange.

For Roberts in Los Angeles, that level of instant success has failed to materialize as it did for her like-minded counterparts. With only a full season under her belt in the pros, there is no shortage of time, but it is of the essence. The WNBA is fully immersed in its NBA-like copycat era, dating back to the 2010s, when teams went above and beyond to find the next Steph Curry and Golden State Warriors-type offense driven by ball movement, the spacing it provides, and the ample three-pointers available to create. At the time, it was clear that the Sparks preferred former UConn star Paige Bueckers as the guard to lead the franchise out of the muggy, dimly lit basement it had resided in since franchise icon Candace Parker took her talents home to the Chicago Sky.

According to ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Los Angeles “would have been” Bueckers’ preferred landing spot had they won the draft lottery. Despite a 25-55 record across two seasons and the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick (44.2), Los Angeles lost the draft lottery to the Dallas Wings, who leapfrogged them with the second-best odds (22.7%), and the rest is history. For the Sparks, it was virtually Bueckers or bust, even though French phenom Dominique Malonga was available at No. 2 and former Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron shot up every mock draft. She was projected to be a legitimate piece to build around. With Brink, Jackson, Dearica Hamby, and Azura Stevens in the frontcourt rotation, Los Angeles opted to do what bad teams should never do — pass on the best available talent because of fit. After overseeing the worst squad in franchise history record-wise (8-32) and missing out on the Bueckers sweepstakes, Pebley’s second swing to build a winning team essentially jettisoned the one-year rebuild after drafting two lottery picks.

In a three-team trade with the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm, the Sparks sent their 2025 No. 2 pick to the Emerald City and received two-time champion Kelsey Plum from Las Vegas. Seattle used that pick to draft 6’6” Malonga, who went on to become the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 100 points, and dropped two consecutive playoff double-doubles off the bench in less than 25 minutes per outing. Malonga became just the sixth rookie in WNBA history to record at least two playoff double-doubles, joining Hall of Famers Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings. After trading franchise stalwart Jewell Loyd to the Aces, the Storm sought a guard for the future and landed on former Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, but she opted to return to college and transferred to TCU. With Miles off the board, Seattle ran one of the most underrated audibles in recent draft history, lucking into Malonga with the second overall pick. Unlike the Sparks, the Storm took a different route to determine their long-term future.

One year removed from selecting Malonga, the Storm used the 2026 first-rounder received from Los Angeles in 2024 on Spanish star Awa Fam, pairing the 6’4” hybrid post with 6’6” Malonga to seek and destroy defenses for the next decade. Excluding Ezi Magbegor, the longest-tenured player on the roster, the next four best athletes are all under 25. With the addition of a veteran All-Star guard, Seattle could return to the top stage and reign over the league once again as it did for the first two decades of this century. After multiple transactions meant to pilot the organization back towards championship contention, the Sparks are flying in the opposite direction at a rapid pace.

Los Angeles carried a 6-14 record into early July after the first 20 games of the 2025 season, then went 15-9 to finish the year, claiming six wins in eight games against playoff teams, but fell two games short of making the postseason. Considering the team won eight games in 2024 and nearly tripled that total the following season, this was a clear improvement across the board, from the coaching staff to the players down the roster. The buy-in for Roberts’ system was secured, and several players shifted their shot profile to fit the mold of what was asked of them. Hamby enjoyed a career-scoring year. Brink returned from an ACL injury and began to adjust to being back on the floor. Stevens had a career year in several areas as one of the best scoring options at her position, finishing second in the race for Most Improved Player. As the lead option for the first time in her career, Plum struggled to balance her scoring duties and running the offense before Julie Allemand was inserted into the starting lineup to split the workload, but was explosive more times than not.

Though Rickea Jackson shot 30 percent from three over her collegiate career, her ability from deep grew significantly as a pro. As a rookie, the Detroit native shot 34.7 percent from three on 5.4 attempts per game, after averaging at least four attempts in college only twice in five years. From 2024 to 2025, Jackson upped her three-point attempt rate from 28.2 percent to a remarkable 38.7 percent under Roberts. She took 63 more three-pointers as a sophomore than as a rookie, averaging two more attempts per game despite missing six games. Even with a louder reliance on threes, Jackson still made nearly 35 percent of her attempts. For the Sparks’ ownership group, the individual player growth across the roster in the first season under Roberts did little to satisfy its yearning for a championship-ready core. With that in mind, Pebley’s latest swings included pushing her last chip to the middle of the table.

After another season ended without a trip to the playoffs, the Sparks traded Jackson to the Chicago Sky for two-time All-Star guard Ariel Atkins, receiving no assets in return for one of the best under-25 players in the league. Jackson thrived in her first year in the league and earned a spot on the All-WNBA Rookie Team. Though she improved as a sophomore, there was a clear disconnect on the floor. At times throughout the 2025 season, it appeared that Jackson’s shot profile conflicted with what Roberts called for in her role, most notably in half-court sets. On defense, Jackson might not be the most stout on-ball defender, but the 6’2” forward has improved since arriving in the WNBA and has excelled in weakside coverage.

For whatever qualms there may have been about her fit within Roberts’ system, Jackson was a talent worthy of a concerted effort to develop her abilities and make them work for the team. She made one of the biggest leaps in consistency on both sides of the ball during the second half of last season, averaging 16 points on 44.1 percent from two, 39.3 percent from three, and 91 percent at the line over 21 games. Jackson exploded from outside, leading the team in three-point percentage, corner three-point makes (13), corner three-point percentage (44.3), and posting the highest three-point attempt rate of her career over a 20-plus-game stretch (44.1). From the eye test to the film, Jackson started to put it all together from various angles on the floor. Instead, Pebley traded a 25-year-old lottery pick with two years remaining on a rookie-scale contract for an aging 5’10” Atkins to pair with 5’8” Plum, creating one of the smallest backcourts and one of the biggest defensive disadvantages before the season started.

After letting Stevens walk in free agency, Los Angeles signed franchise legend Nneka Ogwumike to a one-year, $950,000 contract, bringing her back home after a two-year stint in Seattle. The 13-time All-Star was a clear upgrade over Stevens on both sides of the floor, but the Sparks’ offseason starts to get a bit murky after the addition of Ogwumike. Hamby re-signed for $3.4 million over three years. The sign-and-trade for Atkins added another three-year, $3.4 million deal to the books. Unlike other superstars, Plum was among the select few who opted for a one-year contract, re-signing for under the max at $999,999. Following her sole season in Seattle with Ogwumike, veteran guard Erica Wheeler signed for 1.2 million over two years.

By this point, it should be evident that the Sparks have the accelerator planted to the floor, intent on getting back to the promised land no matter the cost. It takes the right blend of players to win a title in any team sport, especially in the WNBA. Though front offices have tried in the past, the chemistry required to bring a trophy home is not available à la carte in free agency. If a team lacks a top-five game-changer or at least two top-ten superstars, the odds are already against it to win it all.

For an organization determined to hang another banner from the rafters, trading a top-two pick when there were talents available in Malonga and Citron never made sense, as they have ceilings to match the criteria. Not to mention that both players are already top-ten players at their respective positions as sophomores. An alternative timeline exists where the Sparks have one of the most talented young trios in the league in Brink, Jackson, and either Malonga or Citron as the faces of the franchise and future. Instead, Pebley continued down a path with dwindling opportunities to make a U-turn.

Though the organization has its sights set on a title run, the integral development of young talent to get there has suffered. Jackson is an anomaly, as she saw success in the second half of 2025 and carried that momentum into 2026 before tearing her ACL. In four games with the Sky, Jackson averaged 18 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and two assists, all career-highs. For her former youthful teammates who don the purple and gold, or have recently done so, success has eluded them during their time in Southern California.

In her last two seasons at Alabama, Sarah Ashlee Barker was one of the best two-way threats in the SEC, averaging 17.5 points and 36.3% on her threes. She finished second on the team in steals and led it as a senior. Barker took the nation by storm in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament with 45 points, including 4-of-6 on threes, in a double-overtime loss to Maryland. Despite the loss, Barker tied former Ohio State Buckeye Kelsey Mitchell for the fourth-most points scored in a tournament game. Drafted by Los Angeles with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 Draft, Pebley saw Barker as a valuable five-tool talent for the future.

“One of the things that we really knew that this team needed was a three-and-D player,” said Pebley in her post-draft press conference last season. “We looked in all positions for that. We weren’t just narrowed in on a wing or a guard. We stayed really open to where that could come from, and in every way, Sarah Ashlee Barker had checks in the eyes, the ears, and numbers. Sarah Ashlee significantly stood out in the three-and-D category.”

Prospects from the top conferences are normally scouted more often than those from smaller ones, and it was clear that Pebley and her draft team did their homework on Barker before drafting her.

“She held opponents to 23 percent field-goal percentage as a primary defender in a conference that is incredibly competitive. Her matchups are some of the best players in the country; that’s fifth-lowest in the country. Shooting 38 percent from the three, and you can actually bump that up to 47 percent on her catch-and-shoot. With players around her like KP [Kelsey Plum], Odyssey [Sims], Julie Allemand, Rickea [Jackson] that are able to do things off the bounce, you need to have those shooters out there on the perimeter. So, we’re really excited to have a little Roll Tide element in LA.”

“Sarah Ashlee is an elite competitor. Her mental makeup, ability to stretch the floor beyond the arc, commitment to defense, willingness to rebound, and passing instincts make her the total package. We’re thrilled to add her poise and leadership.”

Barker struggled to adjust to the pace of the WNBA, as most rookies do, especially guards in a post-driven league. The 6’0” guard was never offered a lengthy runway to learn from her mistakes. Through the first 17 games of the season, she averaged the seventh-most minutes per game on the team at 20.3. As the Sparks thrived post-All-Star break, winning seven of their first 10 games, Barker saw just eight minutes per outing through the final 17 games of the season. Roberts finalized her rotations ahead of the playoff push, leaving little room for Barker to continue learning on the fly, prioritizing veteran experience over the continued development of her first-ever first-round pick.

Though her minutes were inconsistent, Portland Fire general manager Vanja Černivec and first-year coach Alex Sarama gave Barker what Pebley and Roberts failed to: a chance to earn a spot in the rotation. Less than a year after being drafted with the ninth overall pick, the former Crimson Tide guard was left unprotected in April’s expansion. It just so happened that the team roughly 1,000 miles up I-5 swooped in and took her. In 20 games with the Fire, Barker has exploded on the WNBA scene, averaging 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Barker is producing from every spot on the floor under first-year coach Alex Sarama, shooting 56 percent on twos, 41.1 percent on threes (3.7 atts), and 75.9 percent at the line (1.5 atts).

During the 2025 draft cycle, former Gamecock forward Sania Feagin was projected to be a late first-round pick, but fell to the second round, where the Sparks drafted her No. 21 overall. When Ashlyn Watkins went down with a torn ACL, Feagin was the only post on the roster that Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley trusted to steady the ship in the middle. Through the final stretch of the regular season into the NCAA tournament, she averaged 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 stocks. Feagin struck gold with her confidence as a two-level scorer, shooting over 60 percent at the rim, 62.9 percent on midrange shots, and 80 percent at the free-throw line. With Feagin’s dominance, South Carolina reached the national championship game. The 6’3” forward stayed committed to the process and produced when her team needed her the most, catching the interest of Pebley.

“Our whole war room was stunned that she was still available as late as she was,” Pebley said in the same presser. “We wanted to bring some post depth, some center depth, some rim protection depth. But she’s also a player that I think has a runway ahead of her that will only expand her range and her abilities and her potential. She’s won 144 games in college and only lost seven. She stayed at South Carolina her entire career. She won two national championships. That is something you cannot dismiss”

During a press conference later in the week, Pebley continued to heap praise on Feagin, unprompted, for staying committed to legendary head coach Dawn Staley and her institution.

“Sania comes from a program that has had bigs that have transitioned really well into the WNBA, and so she’s been mentored really well,” said Pebley. “Sania is somebody I think that even while staying committed to a process — like people keep saying that about her — but a lot of people don’t know what that means in real life.”

Feagin saw little time on the court in her first two seasons in Columbia behind eventual WNBA lottery picks in Fever center Aliyah Boston and Sky center Kamila Cardoso, but showed consistent flashes in the action she saw as a junior and arrived on the national stage as a senior. Like other star recruits who rarely see the floor early in their careers, Feagin could have entered the transfer portal for a starting spot anywhere in the nation. Instead, she opted to develop her craft and learn from a legendary staff and organization to prepare for the pros. Front offices around the league have long valued products of Staley’s system, and Feagin was no different from the rest. From A’ja Wilson to Kamilla Cardoso, Feagin joined a long line of South Carolina post players viewed as valuable pieces to build with. Despite the post-draft adulation for her collegiate career and the lane Feagin carved for herself, Feagin appeared in only 16 games, averaging 1.3 points in just under five minutes per outing.

In her first offseason of international basketball, Feagin’s light shone bright, no matter the location. Her journey started in Australia with the WNBL’s Adelaide Lightning, where she finished fourth in scoring (17.1 PPG) in 23 games. Feagin also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 stocks. The next stop took the Atlanta-area native west to the Czech Republic to play for USK Praha. In five ZBL games, Feagin averaged an identical 17.1 points, shooting 77.3 percent on twos and 31 percent on threes. In two games against stiffer competition in EuroLeague play, she averaged seven points on 58.3 percent shooting. The 23-year-old saw and conquered her offseason, honing her game alongside some of the world's best athletes and defenders.

Since the WNBA’s inception, young players have traveled thousands of miles to other countries to develop their skills in anticipation of earning a roster spot in the league or showcasing what they learned to help their current team. Following two productive stints on two separate continents, that opportunity never materialized for Feagin as a Spark. Entering her sophomore year in the WNBA, Feagin made her 2026 debut in Los Angeles’ season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Aces and suffered a leg injury during the first week of the season, sidelining her for nearly a month. She returned in mid-June, playing 7 minutes in 2 games before being waived. Feagin has since signed a developmental contract with the Fire, joining Barker in Rose City. Though their paths never crossed at South Carolina, Sparks rookie Ta’Niya Latson is off to a start similar to Feagin's in Los Angeles.

Losing Allemand and Barker in the expansion draft left many wondering how the Sparks would fill out their guard rotation, given they had no first-round pick due to the 2024 trade to draft Jackson. Though Atkins was on the roster, the team needed a shot of youth off the bench to learn and play off her and Plum. That question was answered with the 2026 No. 20 overall pick in Latson, a natural scorer who can defend at this level. As a freshman at Florida State, Latson led the ACC in scoring, averaging 21.3 points on 56 percent true shooting. The 5’8” guard scored 659 points total, the most by a freshman in conference history. In her junior year, she led the country in scoring with 25.2 points per game. Latson is no stranger to posting electric numbers against the best programs in college basketball. She put up 34 points against Notre Dame and Hannah Hidalgo, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year this past season as a sophomore. In two NCAA tourney games as a junior, she dropped 28 and 30 points.

Like others before her, Latson sought out structure, accountability, and a sound environment to round out her game for the next level. That search led her to South Carolina. For the first time in her collegiate career, Latson could focus on the underlying aspects of the game that great players learn rather than carry a team by herself. In her first two seasons in Tallahassee, she led the ACC in usage. As a junior, Latson led the nation. No longer was that the case with a team as deep as the Gamecocks with a staff to match. Though her numbers were down, that was to be expected, as Latson went from the only option to one of many, replicating what awaited her in the WNBA.

“I can commit my resiliency, and who I am as a person, I feel like has gotten a lot better mentally and physically,” said Latson after being drafted. “I went to South Carolina to become a pro and get ready for the league. And I feel like I’m well prepared. I just got to go out there and be myself.”

Though several prominent mock drafts had Latson going at the end of the first round, the Sparks lucked into acquiring one of the most prolific scorers in recent women’s college basketball history, which Pebley and Roberts were fully aware of.

“It was surprising to us that Ta’Niya was able to be available at the 20th pick for us,” said Pebley in a post-draft presser.

Transferring to a pro-style system in Columbia piqued the interest of decision-makers around the league, and the Sparks were no different. Roberts noted that she saw Latson shift her style of play when she transferred to South Carolina, crediting it to her versatility and varied methods to stuff the basket.

“I love a good scoring guard,” said Roberts. “We always want to put more points on the board than the other team, and she led the nation in scoring last season at Florida State. A lot of pressure on her at Florida State to carry the load, then we saw her transfer to South Carolina for her final year and take on a different role. That team had two other first-round draft picks from that roster playing with that South Carolina team, so we watched her closely. Our draft model had her a lot higher than 20. So, we were excited that she was there, as Raegan mentioned. She can shoot it, she can get to the basket, and she’s great in transition. And then something that we really needed, and we’re excited about, is just her defense, her point of attack defense.”

Though the Sparks’ brain trust seemed to have a surface-level understanding of Latson’s abilities and how her game would translate, the plan has been an abject failure to date. In Los Angeles’ 18 games this season, Latson has appeared in only 10, averaging 1.8 points in five minutes per outing. The WNBA is still by far the hardest professional league not only to make but also to stay in. This fact is not lost on most, but Latson was heralded as the steal of the draft, and for good reason. Pebley and Roberts never expected her to be available at No. 20, but she might as well have been, as another team could have used her. Latson has been healthy to start her career, but has received nearly as many DNP-CDs (8) as games she has seen the court. A crucial factor in the lack of playing time is that Latson is being asked to do what she was never asked to do in college: play point guard. The experiment officially started on draft night.

“It’s hard as a rookie, especially at that point guard and two spot to adapt,” said Roberts. “I’m expecting her to be a great addition to our squad. And again, I think it’s her scoring ability, athleticism, scoring ability, explosiveness, all those things.”

In the Sparks’ 125-97 shellacking at the hands of the upstart Toronto Tempo, Latson saw just under three minutes of action in a game where Tempo guard Marina Mabrey tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points. Los Angeles was down 14 points at the end of the first quarter and 24 at halftime, allowing 63 points in the first half. The second half was much of the same, as Toronto took a 29-point lead into the final frame. With 2:42 left in the game, Latson checked in for the first time that night. In the first outing without four-time All-Star Kelsey Plum, who is sidelined for at least four weeks after sustaining a lower-leg injury, Latson saw only garbage minutes as the team was down double digits for most of the game. For reference, she was the last active player to see the floor in a game in which the Tempo scored the second-most points in WNBA history. When asked after the game about the lack of time for Latson, Roberts said the quiet part out loud.

“T [Ta’Niya] is working hard,” Roberts stated. “That’s where she’s at in the rotation. There’s really no other explanation than that. The rotation is built on practice and all the things that we see, and she’s developing. She’s a rookie. She’s at the toughest position in the league in terms of learning as a rookie at that lead guard spot, so it’s not anything more than that.”

As one of the most potent collegiate scoring threats with the ball in her hands, Latson transferred to South Carolina to learn how to win her matchup without it in a WNBA-ready offense boasting two first-round picks. From childhood friend Raven Johnson to Maddy McDaniel off the bench, South Carolina boasted an assortment of floor generals who Latson played with as the off guard. She was never expected to run the offense with regularity. If anything, Latson hunted for her shot with a renewed focus, especially inside the arc, shooting career highs at the rim (68.7%) and non-rim twos (38%). Over 60 percent of her offense was scored in the paint as a Gamecock. In her last year at Florida State, Latson posted her best season from beyond the arc, shooting 34 percent on threes and a stifling 46.3 percent in the corners. For most of her NCAA career, she was a heavy-usage, high-scoring shooting guard with more experience as a senior with off-ball actions, simulating what to expect as a rookie.

If the Sparks needed a true point guard to run the offense, a plan should have been hatched to move up in the draft to find one, rather than landing on Latson, a prospect who never did so in college. The Washington Mystics drafted Sonia Citron because they saw potential that others may not have as a wing. The 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up was not expected to be a point guard, given that she had Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo throughout her career at Notre Dame. The Minnesota Lynx drafted Miles to pilot the team into the future at the lead guard spot, not to play off of running mate Courtney Williams in the backcourt. The Sparks are doing the opposite of both organizations that look to contend for a championship much sooner than they do.

Two days after the Toronto loss, Los Angeles dropped another 20-plus-point loss and allowed 100-plus points, this time to the Indiana Fever, 111-87. The Sparks made history as the first team in WNBA history to allow at least 110 points in back-to-back games. In 30 years of the WNBA, this is something we might not see for quite some time.

Before the game, Roberts was asked how she evaluates Latson as a rookie learning a position she never played and deciding when to play her or not to.

"It's tough at that spot to hide, right?” said Roberts. “If you're the three or the four, whatever, and you're not quite, you don't quite have your sea legs yet, it's not as noticeable. But she's figuring out she's an elite scorer, but running a team and being an elite scorer are two very different things, and it's really hard to do. I think she's figuring it out. But she's getting better and her mentality is, she's gaining consistency and trust with that. But, you know, it's one of those things where not everyone gets to play. It's not equal opportunity. As much as we want her to play and we believe in her, there's still-no team in the league is playing 12 people. That's just not how it works. Everybody's journey is different, everybody's process is different, and hers is a little bit different."

After three early fouls, Atkins checked out of the game for Latson. For a rookie shooting guard tasked with learning how to play the one, Latson is rarely seen with the ball in her hands when on the floor. For example, in the 90-second stint she saw in the second quarter, Wheeler was the primary ball handler. 48 hours after allowing 63 points in the first half against the Tempo, the Fever hung 57 on the Sparks, taking a 20-point lead into halftime.

Despite being down as many as 33 in the third quarter, Roberts never thought to insert her prized rookie. For the second game in a row, Latson checked in for garbage time in a blowout loss. If the plan is to get Latson accustomed to playing the one, nearly five minutes against Fever backups was a perfect time to do so. Instead, veteran point guard Kiana Williams, who the Sparks recently signed, ran the show until the final buzzer sounded. Like others before her, Latson is the latest talent to have fallen victim to an organization without direction.

Los Angeles was ahead of the curve with one of the most promising young duos in Brink and Jackson and ample opportunities to surround them with young talent. In less than two years, the Storm formed a frontcourt duo for the ages with Malonga and Fam, while the Sparks have yet to find an identity in the second season of being a win-now team since trading for Plum.

“I think every team in the league wants to win now,” said Roberts on June 12. “But we also recognize we’re in LA and we’re one of the original franchises. I didn’t come to LA to rebuild or do some slow thing. I know KP [Kelsey Plum] didn’t, and Nneka [Ogwumike] didn’t. Our front office has that in mind as well in terms of getting players that will help us win now, but are also the right fit for what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to play. I think we’ve done a good job of that. To your point about balancing with the young guys, a lot of the work in developing young players isn’t seen. It’s with our player development staff, our coaching staff; they get coached up a lot. It’s just a hard league to break into, it really is. But we believe in those guys, and we’re going to continue working. Their numbers will get called, and it’s a matter of them staying ready. They’ve done a great job at that, but they’re completely invested. Their work ethic is great, their buy-in is great, so everyone’s journey is different. Sometimes it takes a little bit to break in and sometimes it’s right away. That’s what went into it.”

When Pebley hired Roberts away from Utah, the former college coach was praised as a player development guru, having raised the ceilings of players like Connecticut Sun guard Gianna Kneepkens and Alissa Pili. When Roberts left Utah, Kneepkens transferred to UCLA to raise her profile in a tougher conference, and the Sun took her with the last pick in the first round in April. The Lynx drafted Pili with the No. 8 overall pick in 2024 ahead of French prospects Carla Leite and Leila Lacan. As an undersized, ball-dominant forward, Pili struggled to adjust to not having the offense run through her and was limited defensively. She was eventually waived halfway through the 2025 season.

The Sparks signed Pili to a trio of seven-day contracts before forking over a rest-of-season deal. Pili was in a similar position to the one Latson finds herself in as a rookie being ushered into an unfamiliar spot with limited opportunities to work out a semblance of a plan. If Roberts failed to carve out a role for a product of her own success, it remains to be seen how she would do so for others. With less than two full seasons at the helm of the Sparks, the ditched efforts are stacking up.

The Sparks made moves to retain veteran players from the previous season and added to it by trading Jackson for Atkins, who averages career lows in nearly every statistical category to date. Touting the highest usage rate (27%) of her career as a shooting guard playing the one, Plum suffered a sprained right ankle in practice at the end of May, sidelining her for three games before the leg injury. Defense was a key issue last season, and it has only gotten worse in 2026.

Through the first 10 games of the season, Los Angeles posted the worst defensive rating (115.6) in WNBA history. After the last two high-scoring affairs their opponents enjoyed, the team is back in the same ballpark as last month. Trading Jackson for Atkins has already proven a failure, even with Jackson out for the season. Hamby still struggles guarding her own yard and elsewhere. Wheeler is shooting career lows from nearly every spot on the floor and has not helped matters on the other end. Brink was one of the few shining lights on defense as a reserve, but has been out with an ankle sprain and is expected to miss several weeks.

On paper, the Sparks had one of the better rosters in the league, but the regular season has not been any better for it. After a historic free agency period, Pebley had tied 68 percent of the salary cap to five players, all 29 or older. That gives Los Angeles a three-year window, and that might be pushing it. This is a talented group, but valuing it over young talent in hopes of winning a championship pushes teams in one direction, leaving little room to course-correct if needed. Los Angeles has reached that point before the All-Star break, but options are slim, if any at all.

At the middle of it all is Nneka Ogwumike, a franchise legend who chose to return to a place she called home for the first 12 seasons of her career. The future Hall of Famer had other suitors in free agency for her talents, including the now league-leading Lynx. A local balloon company posted a time-lapse on social media showing the creation of a structure meant to welcome Ogwumike on her official visit. It took the general public by surprise because there was little information about the teams courting free agents, so many took it as a done deal. But it was just a visit, and Ogwumike wound up signing with the Sparks four days later.

Not many expected a remote chance of success for the Lynx with Napheesa Collier still rehabbing from ankle surgery and the team losing four key players in free agency. If we have learned anything to date about legendary head coach Cheryl Reeve and her organization, doubting either should be considered cautiously. Through a fourth of the season, Minnesota sits atop the WNBA and looks like one of the few true championship contenders. With several weeks until the All-Star break, Minnesota has Collier and Euroleague MVP Dorka Juhasz back on the court and practicing with the team for the first time this season.

Nia Coffey has been a rockstar in her role, and will most likely have a spot on an All-Defensive Team when the season is over. Natasha Howard is surfing the resurgence of her career under Reeve and looks as good as she did seven years ago when the 6’2” forward won Defensive Player of the Year and finished fifth in MVP voting. For the first time in her storied career, Howard is an All-Star starter. In so many ways, that could have been Ogwumike reaping the rewards of a highly sophisticated system designed to extract the best of her abilities through a team-centered approach.

As a WNBA champion and former league MVP, Ogwumike knows what it takes to win at the highest level. After the loss to the Tempo, she was asked for her opinion on how far away the Sparks are from being a legitimate championship contender.

“We have a ways.”

At 36, Ogwumike has more basketball years behind her than in front of her, and this season was supposed to be defined by wins and championship contention. Instead, the Sparks are stuck in the middle with a top-heavy roster that has little to show for it and a lack of sustainable youth to bring the spark when the starters lack it.

Basketball purgatory is a position that every decision-maker does their best to avoid like the plague. If they fail to steer clear of it, their team is stuck in the middle. They win too many games to land a high first-round pick but lack the ability to chew through bona fide championship contenders to be one. For the last two years, this has been a second home away from the arena formerly known as Staples Center for the Sparks, and their residency has no definitive end date. After going 21-23 in 2025, their two-year record has them on the outside looking in on landing a lottery pick, even if they accumulate a substantial number of losses down the stretch. The 2026 season was meant to end the longest active playoff drought, but it looks to be another year added to the tally before the All-Star break commences.