The Los Angeles Sparks have had issues this season closing out games in the fourth quarter, but that was not the case against the Dallas Wings on Saturday. The Sparks held strong to snap a two-game losing streak by beating the Wings on the road, 87-81. One of the major reasons why the Sparks were able to hold on for the win was a career-high performance from rookie wing Rickea Jackson.
Following the game, Jackson gave credit to her teammates and the coaching staff for giving her the confidence to go out on the court and play to the best of her ability.
“I feel like the coaches, they just build confidence in me before the game. Going in I knew that the three spot was probably going to be a little shorter, something that we tried to take advantage of,” Jackson said. “So I felt like them instilling that confidence in me makes me want to go out there and play hard for them. And Curt [Miller] staying on me, telling me what I need to do helps me as well. So I feel like just having that confidence from my teammates and my coaches helped me too.”
Rickea Jackson dropped 23 points in the win against the Wings and became only the second Sparks rookie to have multiple 20-point games in a season alongside Nneka Ogwumike as per Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Her previous career-high was the 22 point she scored against the Phoenix Mercury on July 7.
Rickea Jackson has been standout rookie for the Sparks
The Sparks came into the 2024 season with two lottery picks. They used the No. 2 overall pick on Cameron Brink and the No. 4 overall pick in Rickea Jackson. With Brink lost for the remainder of the season, Jackson's role has shifted from playing primarily small forward to being more of a hybrid small forward/power forward.
Jackson is the second-leading scorer on the team and one of the top overall rookies in the WNBA. She's appeared in 22 games, including 17 starts, at a little over 25 minutes per game. She's been averaging 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists with splits of 44.9 percent shooting from the field, 34.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
One aspect of Jackson's game that has been a significant development this season has been her rebounding. She's only had one game so far in double-digit rebounding, but her activity on the glass has been crucial as she navigates both forward positions.
Back on July 5 during the Sparks win against the Las Vegas Aces, Jackson had a crucial offensive rebound that helped seal the win. With the Sparks ahead 95-93 and 11.1 seconds left, Dearica Hamby missed two free-throws. Had the Aces gotten the rebound, they would have had the last shot of the game and a chance to tie or possibly win.
But it was Jackson who swooped in and saved the possession for the Sparks. Following that game, Jackson joked with reporters that she didn't want to get yelled at on the bench for failing to grab the board.
“I'm playing against A'ja [Wilson] and Kiah [Stokes], I know they're super tall so I had to pick and choose rebounds. Like if it's up in the air, I know A'ja is probably going to get that,” Jackson said. “That last rebound, I was just praying it came to me. I saw Kiah go to the left, I went to the right. . .I said whatever you got to do, grab this so you don't get cussed out.”
At this point, Jackson seems like a shoo-in for the WNBA's All-Rookie Team. She should probably be considered the third best rookie in the league behind only Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
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