LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Sparks get their first look at rookie sensation Caitlin Clark as the Indiana Fever are in town for their lone regular season visit to the city. The Fever come to town searching for their first win of the 2024 WNBA season as they have begun the year 0-5. There's obviously been a lot of chatter surrounding Clark's WNBA debut and Sparks head coach Curt Miller fired back at some of the early criticism of Clark while sending a reminder that this matchup is about the Sparks vs. Fever.

“There's lots of false narratives out there right now. Caitlin Clark is a fantastic player off to a great start. The number that she's already putting up are impressive. Obviously people want even more,” Miller said during his pregame media availability. “I haven't seen this, but that's the viewership. The eyes that are on our game are at an all-time high right now and it's great for our game.”

“Not only this rookie class, but a lot of new eyes on some of the superstars of our game that should be known worldwide are now getting even more exposure. This game is about LA and Indiana tonight. Fun young players, fun young rookies in this game, but this is truly LA vs. Indiana.”

Sparks and Fever rookies take center stage in showdown

Los Angeles Sparks Cameron Brink (22) and Rickea Jackson (2) throw out the first pitch prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

While Caitlin Clark may be the center of attention so far in terms of the 2024 WNBA rookie class, the Sparks have a pair of rookies of their own who have been making an immediate impact. The Sparks selected Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall pick and Rickea Jackson with the No. 4 overall pick.

It's still early in the season, but the early returns seem to suggest that the Sparks were able to grab two foundational pieces for their future. As the Sparks usher in a new era, hitting on both of these lottery picks goes a long way towards the timeframe of this rebuild.

This has been one of the most anticipated rookie classes in recent WNBA history. Prior to the game, Curt Miller also spoke about the immediate impact this group has had so far and what it might look like in years to come.

“I'll paraphrase Candace Parker, time will tell the story. I don't think they have to shout out their own stories, time will tell. I think we'll look back years from now and realize how productive, how talented this rookie class is. I'm excited for the league,” Miller said. “I'm excited for our two rookies. And we have a bunch of second-year players. . .Rae Burrell is only in her second year, Zia Cooke is in her second year, when you consider Li Yueru only in her second year, nearly half our team is in their first or second year. I'm just excited about the youth that's coming around the league.”

Through the Sparks first three games, Cameron Brink is averaging 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.7 blocked shots. Rickea Jackson is averaging 9.7 points and 2.3 rebounds and is the Sparks most productive player off the bench so far.