Sparks news: Cameron Brink’s return draws blunt Lynne Roberts admission

LOS ANGELES – It’s been four games since Cameron Brink made her return from injury, and the Los Angeles Sparks have gone 3-1 in that stretch. It’s a continuing trend from the team whose current hot streak began just before the All-Star break before Brink returned to the lineup. But it can’t be overstated how much of an impact she has made, and how that’s elevated the team even more so. Prior to the Sparks’ game against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, head coach Lynne Roberts spoke about how Cameron Brink’s return has given the team’s defense a different look.

“Defensively, I can’t overstate how great it is to have her, and it’s not just that we’re aware of what she’s capable of defensively, but the other team is. . .it is affecting the outcome of the game,” Roberts said. “To have that, Cam has a lot of confidence in that and I think as you’re coming back from an injury, it’s all about confidence and getting your rhythm back. So I’ve just implored her to focus on that.”

While Cameron Brink has made a major impact already on the defensive end, her offense is not quite there yet. It’s understandable considering she’s been sidelined for over a year while rehabbing from an ACL injury. During the Sparks’ win against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, Brink went 0-of-6 from the field and didn’t score a single point.

But the Sparks do not win that game without Brink tying a career-high five blocked shots as well as stonewalling multiple possessions with her on-ball defense, and that’s why Lynne Roberts isn’t as concerned with her slow start offensively. Roberts knows it will come around based on the system the team has implemented.

“The way we play, the offense, the shots will find you. . .I told her again, I don’t care if you go 0-of-6 because you’re impacting the game defensively and it’s impacting winning. And so I want her to take the pressure off the offensive end because it will come,” Roberts said. “I know what she’s capable of. She can score it, but I don’t want her to focus on that. She’s just like everybody else, if it’s a great shot, take it. And whether she’s missed the last five, I still want her to take it.”

“But I’m not worried about that right now, what her shooting percentage is or what her efficiency numbers are on offense,” Roberts continued. “I think just having her defensively and gain some confidence from that, the offense will come.

During the Sparks’ 102-91 win against the Sun, Brink had much better outing offensively, finishing with a season-high 11 points while knocking down both of her three-point attempts. In the four games that she’s been back, she’s shooting 44.4 percent from the three-point line. After the game, Roberts spoke about the emphasis on Brink’s outside shooting.

“She’s put in a lot of time. That’s the one thing about rehabbing is you’re able to do a lot of stationary shooting,” Roberts said. “And so she worked on her shot because that was all she could really do. And I think you’re seeing the results of that. I know she feels confidence in the system. . .it was fun to see those shots go down for her.”

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