With the Olympics in progress, the 2024 WNBA season and the Los Angeles Sparks are on brief hiatus. The Sparks currently sit at 6-18 and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. But one of the bright spots for the Sparks this WNBA season is rookie wing Rickea Jackson.
Rickea Jackson was the No. 4 overall pick for the Sparks in the 2024 WNBA Draft and she's been having a strong rookie season. While the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese and the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark have dominated the rookie headlines this year, Jackson has clearly been the third best rookie.
Following the Sparks last regular season game before the Olympic break on July 16, head coach Curt Miller said he hoped the buzz around Jackson's rookie year would grow in the second half of the season.
“Rickea has learned so much as a rookie. She really belongs, there's not enough noise about what Rickea Jackson is doing,” Miller said. “She's having a tremendous rookie year and there's more than just a couple of rookies in this class. I hope that the national buzz continues to pick up because she has a really, really bright future.”
She most recently signed a major shoe deal with Sketchers, becoming the first WNBA player to ink a sponsorship with the company. Jackson began the season coming off the bench, but has since moved into the starting lineup and become a go-to scorer. Here is an in depth look at Jackson's season so far.
Rickea Jackson has become a go-to scorer for the Sparks
Although the Sparks selected Rickea Jackson at No. 4 in the WNBA Draft, many believed she was the most pro-ready of any player in the draft. That belief was reinforced by her performance back in November during a scrimmage between Tennessee and Team USA as part of Team USA's selection process for the Olympics.
While Team USA beat Tennessee by a score of 95-59, Jackson was the Lady Vols' leading scorer with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. She was eligible for the 2023 WNBA Draft and would no doubt have been a top draft pick had she declared then. But she opted to return for her final season of college basketball eligibility.
Jackson's offense was expected to translate to the WNBA and so far that's been true. One aspect of Jackson's game that has stood out is her catch and shoot ability. While her three-point percentage this season is on the low end at 31.7 percent, she's shown that ability to be a willing shooter off the catch.
She's also shown the ability to hit the pull-up jumper. From 10-16 feet she's shooting 52.2 percent as per Basketball Reference. She's been a good finisher at the basket as well shooting 70.6 percent at the rim. Where she can improve though offensively is being able to attack the basket off the dribble. Right now a lot of her rim finishes come from offensive rebounding or cuts.
Rickea Jackson has shown versatility defensively for the Sparks
Rickea Jackson has all the tools to be an effective defensive player in the WNBA. One of the things that makes her an impact defender is she has the ability to guard multiple positions.
Injuries have shuffled Jackson's position on the floor a few times this season. In college, Jackson was always a natural power forward. She started off this season playing a lot of the four, but when she was moved into the starting lineup she was playing more small forward. She's often alternated between guarding both forward positions and even some guards as well.
She's long and she's quick and she's done well this season in using her hands to knock the ball free and force turnovers. She' also used that length to be a force on the glass. She was a good rebounder in college and her final year at Tennessee she pulled down 8.2 boards per game. As a rookie, her rebounding picked up for the final 10-12 games before the break.
Final Grade: A
Rickea Jackson scores high for her first half of the 2024 WNBA season due to the impact she's had. Her offense and her defense are both a work in progress, but she's shown flashes of being an elite player on both ends. She's a darkhorse candidate for Rookie of the Year and should be a lock for the All-Rookie team.
Jackson is clearly a part of the Sparks future and a franchise cornerstone. Along with Cameron Brink, the Sparks have their frontcourt of the future. Following the Sparks' loss to the Phoenix Mercury back on July 7, Jackson stated that the support she has from the rest of the team has really helped her adjust to the WNBA.
“Being a rookie has its ups and downs, but what's been getting me through is my teammates and coaches, honestly,” Jackson said. “They're always there for me, they're always encouraging me. They always tell me to give myself grace being a rookie and things like that.”
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