The Kelsey Plum plan amid injury return vs. Wings

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks will have a fully healthy roster for only the second time this season as they face off against the Dallas Wings on Friday. Star guard Kelsey Plum will be making her return to the lineup after suffering an ankle injury and prior to the game, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts acknowledged that Plum will not be on a minutes restriction.

“We‘ll keep an eye on her. One thing as I’ve said many times, she’s not going to want to hear that. If she’s been told she can play, then she wants to play,” Roberts said during her pregame press conference. “But that’s just something we’re going to need to keep an eye on. There’s nothing formal from our medical staff, but certainly we need to keep an eye on her and see how she’s moving.”

Kelsey Plum has missed the last three games for the Sparks due to said ankle injury, but she informed reporters on Thursday following practice that she was planning to play. Later in the day, the team officially upgraded her status to probable.

Plum had been off to a blistering start offensively to start the season and the Sparks had begun to get into a rhythm as a team. They ended up going 1-2 in her absence, but overall she felt like it was a good opportunity for the rest of the roster to continue to build chemistry and find comfort in Roberts’ system.

“I think it was a blessing in disguise. I think that ultimately it’s going to be a great thing for our team. People got the opportunity to kind of figure out a little bit more of coach’s system,” Plum said after Thursday’s practice. “Get a little bit more reps and responsibility and more feel. I’m just gonna insert myself back and do whatever the team needs. I just want to win. I don’t really care what the role is, but I’m just here to try and impact winning.”

Through the first six games of the season, Plum was leading the league in scoring at 26.8 points, a career-high. She was also dishing out a career-high 6.3 assists. Her shooting percentages of 58.9 percent from the field and 48.8 percent from the 3-point line are also career-bests, and she’s already said she wants to get her free-throw percentage up to hit the exclusive 50-40-90 club.

She’s ready to get back out on the court and get back to playing. The most frustrating thing for her while being sidelined was being unable to help her team.

“I hated it. I just think the margin of difference in the W is just so small this year. Game to game … every matchup is gonna be a tough matchup,” Plum said. “I think for us I was really pleased with our defense … I think just trying to put together a full game with a full roster is going to be our next step.”

The Sparks are in the midst of a three-game homestand that concludes on Sunday against the Portland Fire.

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