How ‘pissed off’ Kelsey Plum has responded to ankle injury

The Los Angeles Sparks will be without star guard Kelsey Plum at least for the next three games after she suffered an ankle injury during practice this past Tuesday. She will be re-evaluated in one week which would put her out for the final two games of this road trip as well as the Sparks’ June 2 home game agains the Las Vegas Aces. As she begins her rehab, head coach Lynne Roberts has been impressed with Plum’s resolve.

“KP is a competitor. I’ve seen her attack this. I think she was more pissed off that she got injured. The frustration was that. And there’s nothing that she’s fearful of,” Roberts said during her pregame press conference ahead of the team’s game against the Washington Mystics. “She’s back in LA, she’s using all the resources we have there.”

With Plum sidelined on Friday, Lynne Roberts went with Rae Burrell back in the starting lineup alongside Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby, Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler. That leaves the team’s bench a little thin with Cameron Brink and Kate Martin the only two who have received consistent playing time to start the season.

And with Martin limited due to the restrictions that come with a developmental contract, the Sparks are going to have to lean a little more on their rookies in Ta’Niya Latson, Chance Gray and Jihyun Park. But Roberts is confident that her young players are up for the challenge. There is no sense of panic in the midst of Plum’s injury.

“The team is good. We’ve got a team of really steady vets and some young players that are following their lead,” Roberts continued. “There hasn’t been an ounce of panic or ‘oh my gosh,’ or anything like that. We gotta get out there and play.”

Filling in for Plum will be no easy task. The four-time All-Star was leading the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 26.8 points. She was recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week after helping lead the Sparks to a 2-0 record with wins against the Phoenix Mercury and the Aces.

In addition to her scoring, she was dishing out a career-high 6.3 assists and had tied a career-high with 1.2 steals. Plum was shooting 58.9 percent from the field, 48.8 percent from the 3-point line and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line, and she recently acknowledged that 50-40-90 efficiency was a goal of hers this season.

The Sparks seemingly avoided the worst case scenario when it comes to Plum’s injury, and Roberts is hopeful that the team will have her back sooner rather than later.

“From talking with KP, she sounds good. One thing that I know about her, she’s not gonna feel sorry for herself or sit around and not be treating 24/7 which is what she’s doing,” Roberts said. “Hope to get her back soon, we’ll see. Just one day at a time.”

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