Kelsey Plum took a risk this offseason when she decided to leave the Las Vegas Aces and join a brand-new team, the Los Angeles Sparks.
With the Aces, Plum had won two championships, was named to three All-Star games, and was even once honored as Sixth Player of the Year.
She was a member of the US Olympic basketball team. And, Las Vegas was routinely a contender.
The Sparks, meanwhile, were fresh off a season in which they finished with the league’s worst record (8-12) and subsequently missed out on the No. 1 pick (and, in turn, Paige Bueckers). So, rather than continue their rebuild, they traded the No. 2 pick (which ended up becoming Dominique Malonga) and acquired Plum in a three-team trade.
Kelsey Plum has led the charge for the Sparks so far
There have been highs and lows to Plum’s Sparks tenure. On one hand, she’s averaging a career-best X points per game. On the other hand, her shooting numbers are way down. In 2023 — the Aces’ second championship season — she shot 47.5% from the field and 38.9% from three. Now, she’s shooting 39.1% from the field and 35% from three.
Today, Plum is on top of the Sparks’ scouting report, whereas she used to play with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and two other Olympic guards, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. She’s never attempted this many shots (15.1 field goal attempts per game), or turned the ball over this often (3.3 turnovers).
Still, the Sparks have demonstrated a significant improvement from last season, in which they won just 8 games all year. They’re 7-14 so far this season, but last year’s No. 2 pick, Cameron Brink, has yet to make her regular-season debut as she recovers from an ACL tear, and Rae Burrell missed most of the season with a knee injury.
In the Sparks’ 7 wins this season, Plum has posted several massive games, headlined by a 37-point opening game, and most recently, a 23-point performance against the Connecticut Sun, on 8-14 shooting.
Meanwhile, the team she departed — the Aces — have taken a massive step back, currently holding a 10-11 record. And, while their struggles can’t single-handedly be attributed to Plum’s absence, Las Vegas’s shooting guard replacement — Jewell Loyd — hasn’t been able to match Plum’s production. Loyd, whom the Aces acquired in the three-team trade that sent Plum to Los Angeles, is averaging 10.1 points on 37.9% shooting.
Whether Plum’s decision to depart the organization that drafted her was the right one remains to be seen, but for the first time since her WNBA career began, Plum is the undeniable head of the snake. And, the Sparks could be on the brink of turning the corner, while Brink’s return is nearing, and Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson are both finding their offensive rhythms. Ultimately, however, the Sparks will go as far as Plum takes them.
