Lynne Roberts applauds secret weapon Sparks need after Cameron Brink injury

LOS ANGELES – With two of their best players sidelined, and the team with the best record in the WNBA in town, the Los Angeles Sparks knew they were going to need “all hands on deck,” as head coach Lynne Roberts put it during morning shootaround, to be competitive. That didn’t quite happen as the Sparks suffered a 99-83 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, but the game did present an opportunity for veteran forward Emma Cannon.

Emma Cannon didn’t check into the game until around the four minute mark with the outcome already decided, but following the Sparks’ loss, Lynne Roberts praised the seldom-used forward for the high-basketball IQ she possess.

“The two bright spots I pointed out with the team were Emma and JP [Jihyun Park],” Roberts said during her postgame press conference. “I thought Emma came in ready. She talks on defense, she’ll set hard screens, she executes. I think she earned opportunity. That’s what you do when you get a chance, you make it count and she did.”

The Sparks are expected to be short-handed in the frontcourt for the immediacy as Cameron Brink is out with an ankle injury. There has been no potential timetable as of yet for her return. Roberts used both Cannon and second-year center Sania Feagin in Brink’s place against the Lynx, with Cannon being the one who made the most of her playing time.

Undrafted in 2011, Cannon is now in her eighth season in the WNBA. She hasn’t played much for the Sparks this year, averaging less than three minutes across only three games. But she was brought back in the offseason because of her strong locker room presence and rapport with the rest of the team.

And if Brink is going to miss extended time, this just might be an opportunity for her to make an impact on the court. Cannon knows her role on the team as a leader, but she still feels she can contribute when called upon in a meaningful way.

“I know that me being an aggressive post player is something that we need,” Cannon told a small group of reporters following the game. “Me setting screens, me helping my teammates get open, get rebounds, anything and everything that I’m able to do to help my team get a win, I’m willing to do.”

Cannon has also been a pretty effective 3-point shooter, being able to open up the floor consistently for her teammates as someone defenses need to pay attention to. In the two years that she’s been with the Sparks, she shot really well from distance at 38.9 percent and 66.7 percent, respectively. She took 36 attempts from 3-point range last year, a career-high.

But as far as Roberts’ assessment that Cannon possibly earned increased playing time with her performance against the Lynx, Cannon is only trying to control what she can control.

“I’m not a coach, I’m a player,” Cannon said. “I show up how I show up. I show up and do what I do and I do it well. I lead by example.”

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