LAS VEGAS – With the Los Angeles Sparks having been eliminated from playoff competition since before the FIBA World Cup break, one of the team’s top priorities in their remaining regular season games has been opportunity and development for the young players on the roster. It doesn’t mean the Sparks have given up on winning, as head coach Lynne Roberts has long emphasized that it can go hand-in-hand with development.
As the regular season winds down, the Sparks have five rookies who are playing meaningful minutes in Chance Gray, Tonie Morgan, Jihyun Park, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Shyanne Sellers. The latter two are on development contracts and have been called into action amid the recent injuries to Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Aaliyah Nye.
For Tonie Morgan and Chance Gray in particular, they have two proven veteran guards playing ahead of them in Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins. Neither vet has been able to find a consistent rhythm offensively this season, but they’ve both continued to show up and present a consistent example for the rookie duo. Despite the adversity, the messaging and leadership from the vets has never wavered.
“I have a lot of respect for them. I am kind of the same position as Ariel and I see how she shows up every game no matter what it looks like on the offensive side for her. She has a hard defensive assignment each game and she plays hard as she can every time, she’s getting steals, deflections, she never gives up, she’s always encouraging,” Gray said following the Sparks’ loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.
“Same with E-Dub. She’s a great vet. She’s always talking and giving me a lot of confidence. They’re both great people, great vets.”
Gray was drafted by the Sparks with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and thus has been with the team since training camp. She’s learned from Wheeler and Atkins from the get-go while seeing serving as regular in the rotation. But Morgan didn’t join the Sparks until mid-July on a development contract.
She didn’t see real game action until early-August. But after having her contract converted to a standard deal, she’s been receiving consistent playing time as well. And she echoed her fellow Sparks rookie’s thoughts on how important the veteran duo of Atkins and Wheeler have been.
“I second that, I respect them a lot,” Morgan said. “They’re very vocal and they’re there for us through whatever and they play hard every single second on the floor, coaching us on the sidelines and I respect that.”
Gray has appeared in 39 of the Sparks’ 43 games to this point, at a little over 11 minutes per game. She put up her best statistical game of her early career during the team’s win against the Portland Fire on Sunday, finishing with a career-high 11 points while knocking down 3-of-5 attempts from 3-point range.
It was Morgan’s turn to shine albeit the loss to the Aces, finishing with her own career-high of 14 points, connecting on both of her 3-point attempts, dishing out two assists and coming up with a steal and a blocked shot. Although this season has not gone as the Sparks’ had hoped it would, the former Kentucky star has come to embrace the resilient mentality the team has continued to display.
Article Continues Below“We‘re gonna keep fighting because that’s our job. My job is to try to come out here, play as hard as we can and try to win games,” Morgan said. “And it just gets us hope for the future and to see what we can do as we keep playing in his league.”
Thursday’s game was bit of a test of sorts for the young Sparks. Facing off against one of the best teams in the league in the Aces, the team that has won three of the last four championships, in a raucous environment, they fought tooth and nail despite being overmatched and short-handed. It certainly was an opportunity to learn and grow.
“I think any experience that we can have is a good moment,” Gray said. “It’s our rookie year. We’re supposed to learn and take in as much as we can. So I think it’s good experience either way.”
For Roberts, she understands that that the past few games haven’t been easy with different lineups and combinations that have not seen the floor together all season. It’s a lot to ask of several rookies to be impact players as they’re thrown directly into the fire.
But the bright spots have been there. The development, while slow at times, has been there. And perhaps most important, their attitude is exactly what’s going to allow them to ultimately succeed in the WNBA.
“They’re just willing and able to do whatever is asked. And so there’s not this sense of prima donna entitlement. There’s a work ethic and a blue-collarness to them that I really love,” Roberts said following the Aces loss. “Those are the types that, you roll up your sleeves together and just attack their development. But I believe in them and they know that.
“It’s tricky sometimes out there to know what’s working, what’s not. But man, they show up in every timeout, every huddle with the right attitude of learning and competing.”