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With the Los Angeles Sparks tipping off the 2025 WNBA season this past week, plenty of eyes will be watching to see how Kelsey Plum looks with her new team. Ahead of the Sparks’ upcoming games this week, we’ll be making our bold predictions for the team during this WNBA season.
The Sparks have played two games so far, with a record of 1-1. They defeated the Golden State Valkyries, 84-67, in their season opener. But they were defeated, 89-75, during their home opener.
Injuries have hit the Sparks early in the season, forcing them to re-sign Liatu King, one of their 2025 draft picks, to a hardship contract. The Sparks’ next game is on the road against the Phoenix Mercury, and the team will look to get back in the win column.
The Sparks came into this season with the expectation to win, amid the hiring of new head coach Lynne Roberts. Nevertheless, let’s move on to our bold predictions for the Sparks for the 2025 WNBA season.
Kelsey Plum will be top-three in scoring
If the Sparks’ opening night win against the Valkyries was any indication, Kelsey Plum is going to have a big year offensively. She finished with a game-high 37 points while playing all 40 minutes. The All-Star guard has more freedom with the ball in her hands than she’s ever had in her career to this point. She’s also the team’s best offensive option. That’s going to result in Plum getting plenty of shot opportunities.
Back during her introductory press conference, Plum revealed that one of her goals this upcoming season was to be top-five in the league in assists. That’s a reasonable goal, considering her playmaking ability, but a much more bold prediction would be for her to be among the WNBA’s best scorers. Plum was top-three in the league in scoring in 2022, the year the Las Vegas Aces won their first championship. That’s not to say the Sparks will be a title contender, but that a high-scoring Plum isn’t a bad thing for a team.
Kelsey Plum having more offensive freedom isn’t the only reason why she’ll put up big scoring numbers, it will also be out of necessity. With the recent injuries, the Sparks have an extremely thin bench with not much production. During their first two games, they’ve gotten a combined eight points from their reserves. The situation and circumstances all point to Plum going on a scoring rampage this season.
Rickea Jackson will be an All-Star
After the first two games of the season, this prediction might be a little head-scratching, but that’s why these are bold predictions for the Sparks. One of the lone bright spots for the Sparks last season, Rickea Jackson hasn’t quite gotten off to hot start to the 2025 season. But there’s plenty of games to be played.
As a rookie, Jackson was arguably the most WNBA-ready, especially on the offensive end. She was the lone member of the 2024 draft to average double figures in scoring (13.4) while shooting 45+ percent from the field (45.6). Her shooting percentages are down to start the year, but that can be chalked up to adapting to an increased role in the offense, while learning to play alongside a dynamic guard like Plum.
Through the Sparks’ first two games, Jackson is still averaging double figures (10.5 points), while averaging more shot attempts (from 11.0 to 13.0). In the last game against the Lynx, Jackson took a hit to the face and did not come back into the game after that. As of publication, Jackson was listed on the Sparks’ injury report as being out due to concussion protocol. But she’ll have more than enough time to ramp up her All-Star campaign.
Cameron Brink will lead the league in blocked shots
This might be one of the most bold predictions for the Sparks this season, but that’s what this type of piece is for. Cameron Brink is currently sidelined as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury, and there is not any concrete timeline for her return. She will be back at some point this season, it’s just yet clear when.
Should Brink be able to return sometime around All-Star Weekend, it’s not a stretch at all to envision her catapulting to the top of the league in blocked shots. Consider last season for example, when she was actually leading the league in blocks up until her injury. It took until the end of the season for A’ja Wilson to surpass her average. Even then, Brink still ended up as the second-leading shot blocker (2.3 per game) while playing about half as many games as everyone else.
She is a perennial All-Defensive First Team player, and could be a future Defensive Player of the Year winner. If Brink manages to lead the WNBA in blocked shots while once again playing about half as many games as everyone else, it will be further proof of the generational defensive player she is.
