Kelsey Plum reveals LA’s X-factors after huge win vs. Aces

After a disappointing 1-3 start to the season, the Los Angeles Sparks have started out their current road swing at 2-0, with the latest being an impressive 101-95 win against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Kelsey Plum, who has been on a tear to start the season, was her usual All-Star self, but the Sparks wouldn’t have won without major contributions from Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink.

Cameron Brink was moved into the Sparks’ starting lineup in place of Nneka Ogwumike who was sidelined due to a hand injury. Rae Burrell came off the Sparks’ bench for the second straight game after head coach Lynne Roberts opted for a lineup shuffle upon the return of Ariel Atkins from concussion protocol.

Before ultimately fouling out, Brink was a force on both ends of the court, finishing with a season-high 16 points, eight rebounds and being the Sparks’ defensive anchor in the paint. Burrell was also a factor offensively and defensively, adding 10 points and playing strong perimeter defense.

Following the game, Plum acknowledged that an argument can be made for Brink and Burrell to be the team‘s most important players this season, while giving a ton of credit to Burrell in particular for adjusting quickly to a different spot in the rotation.

“Rae’s one of those players that she’s not afraid of the big shot. She’s gonna take it in stride. I was just really proud of her. It’s really hard as someone that has been taken out of the starting lineup and put on the bench, that’s not easy. I really commend her for her resilience,” Plum said during her postgame press conference.

“Like X-factors, we talked about Cam, but Rae is really going to be the difference for us this year because a lot of times in great teams you play, the starting lineup is even and it’s really the bench that has the most impact in terms of, in my experience, of winning big games and then going on a playoff run. So Rae and Cameron, you can make the argument they are the biggest pieces for us.”

Rae Burrell is X-factor for Sparks

Brink’s role on the Sparks has been well-chronicled to start the season. But Burrell is sometimes overlooked when talking about the team’s younger core. She is the longest-tenured player on the team having been drafted by the franchise in 2022 and having playing with the Sparks ever since.

The franchise is invested in her development, having selected her for the WNBA’s time-off bonus this past offseason. She also had a breakout performance at Unrivaled, building anticipation for her fifth season in the league.

Given her skill-set, she seemed a natural fit alongside the other starters once the team’s final roster was hammered out. But amid the slow start to the season, Roberts cited wanting more firepower off the bench for being partially why she opted for the change.

Now that the team has gotten a couple of games under their belt with the changed rotation, Roberts believes Burrell’s move to the second unit has helped unlock her game a bit more.

“I think everybody but Vegas has added new pieces, key pieces through this new CBA and free agency and draft and everything, so we’re all still trying to figure it out in all the ways, rotations being one of them,” Roberts said prior to the Sparks’ game against the Aces. “Everything’s fluid … bringing some punch off the bench, Rae does whether she starts or she comes off the bench. She brings that life and that punch and I thought we were lacking that.

“Rae’s good enough to start and it’s just at this point with what we need as we’re figuring things out, that’s the way it is. Does it free her up, maybe a little bit playing agains the other’s team’s second unit or against the bench. But I think Rae does what she does whether she’s starting or coming off the bench and that’s bring energy. She can put pressure on the rim, she can offensive rebound like crazy, so I love what she brings for us.”

Since moving the second unit, Burrell has been averaging 11 points while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from the 3-point line. Roberts acknowledged that nothing is set in stone regarding the rotation, but the Sparks seem to have found a groove with the changing lineup the past two games.

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