LOS ANGELES — The Sparks’ 2024 roster will be a mix of newly acquired veterans and young players, likely including two lottery picks but Coach Curt Miller said he still expects this year’s team to win despite the influx of new faces.
“Four straight years before I left Connecticut in the (WNBA) semifinals and Finals. I’m wired as a coach to win,” Miller said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “We are going to work our tails off to win. No promises where we’re going to be but that’s the expectation that this team will win.”
Miller said he believes experienced guards Kia Nurse and Aari McDonald, both recently added via separate trades that also netted the Sparks the Nos. 4 and No. 8 picks respectively, and analytically underrated free agent forward Monique Billings, will help the Sparks play an up-tempo style with the brand of physicality that Miller’s teams are known for.
The Sparks were 17-23 overall last season and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, which is the longest streak in the franchise’s 27-year history.
For the first time in 13 seasons, the Sparks will be playing without 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, an unrestricted free agent who signed with the Seattle Storm on Monday.
“Obviously, with the loss of Nneka, there’s holes to fill when it comes to that leadership but I think there’s a lot of opportunity that comes with that,” said Billings, who played locally at UCLA and Santiago High in Corona before being selected 15th overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by Atlanta. “That excites me so I think it’s going to be something that we’ll figure out once obviously we start being around each other, practicing, getting that chemistry, getting in the flow.”
If the Sparks are going to play fast, McDonald, the No. 3 selection in the 2021 draft by Atlanta, might be the point guard to lead the team into a new era. The lightning-quick McDonald, who was acquired in a trade for outgoing point…
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