Player Grades: Sparks end-of-year review

With the 2024 season finished for the Los Angeles Sparks, here are the individual grades for each player on the roster.

The 2024 Los Angeles Sparks season didn't have many wins. In fact, it contained a franchise-low eight and that's with the team playing 40 games, more than in any other WNBA season.

Plenty of injuries and rationale can be used to justify these results, but in the end, they were the worst team in the WNBA and missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

While the team was poor on the court, certain players had a good year. So, let's grade their performances. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A "B" grade represents the average performance for that player.

Dearica Hamby

33.7 minutes, 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, 268-523 FG, 30-88 3PT, 125-198 FT, -277

Hamby had a career year and it's one of the reasons she got votes for the Most Improved player in the WNBA. You couldn't count on much from the Sparks this year, but you could always expect Hamby to get buckets and grab boards.

She signed an extension through 2025 and will be back next year to get this rebuild on track.

Grade: A

Rickea Jackson

28.8 minutes, 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks, 200-439 FG, 43-124 3PT, 92-114 FT, -242

Jackson was the only other Spark to play in all 40 games. As a rookie, she was remarkable and had such a strong finish to her season that she should be discussed more as one of the rising stars in this league.

Once she develops her outside shot and improves a bit on the defensive side of the ball, she's going to be an All-Star.

Grade: A

Cameron Brink

22 minutes, 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 2.3 blocks, 41-103 FG, 10-31 3PT, 21-25 FT, -72

Unfortunately, Brink suffered a torn ACL, ending her season after just 15 games. She was on pace for an exhilarating rookie campaign, already demonstrating All-Defensive potential with her elite shot-blocking.

Next year, with her back, the Sparks will undoubtedly be better and can begin to discover just how high Brink can fly.

Grade: A

Odyssey Sims

26.3 minutes, 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.1 blocks, 56-128 FG, 4-26 3PT, 31-37 FT, -39

Sims joined the team late on a hardship contract and was brought on for the rest of the season. She provided scoring and a ball handler who could help run the offense.

She has a place in this league, no doubt and should make a WNBA roster permanently next season.

Grade: B

Azurá Stevens

24.7 minutes, 9.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, 71-178 FG, 28-80 3PT, 22-27 FT, -118

Stevens whelmed this year. She never too low and rarely too high, but did have a couple of standout performances during the season's final games.

Overall, more is needed from her position.

Grade: B-

Kia Nurse

20.3 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 102-263 FG, 53-160 3PT, 46-58 FT, -155

A solid veteran guard who can be trusted to play at a baseline level, Nurse could knock down the occasional open shot and can be counted on to play respectable defense on the perimeter.

Grade: B-

Aari McDonald

21.8 minutes, 8.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 77-191 FG, 29-91 3PT, 43-51 FT, -79

The start of the season was rough for McDonald. Sparks head coach Curt Miller gave her a short leash and pulled her at the slightest mistake. As the year progressed, he trusted her more and her performance improved.

A right ankle injury limited her play in the second half of the season, as she only participated in two games post-Olympic break.

Still, she proved to be a quality guard and her production was irreplaceable on this roster.

Grade: B

Rae Burrell

15.7 minutes, 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 59-163 FG, 24-72 3PT, 78-100 FT, -88

With more playing time came improved play from Burrell. She put up career highs in points, rebounds and assists and finally cracked the rotation in the back half of the season.

Grade: B+

Lexie Brown

23.7 minutes, 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 42-131 FG, 21-69 3PT, 24-27 FT, -40

Unfortunately, Brown's Crohn's disease prevented her from playing more than 16 games this season. During those games, she struggled with outside shooting and the attention that comes with being considered a 3-point threat.

Hopefully, her health will allow her to participate more in 2025.

Grade: C

Li Yueru

14.4 minutes, 5.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, 68-147 FG, 4-15 3PT, 53-59 FT, -91

Yueru was a quality big for the Sparks, especially after Brink's absences. In her first season in Los Angeles, she continuously improved as a scorer and defender against the league's best centers.

Whether she returns next season as a Spark remains a question, but she demonstrated the potential to be a good player for this franchise.

Grade: B

Stephanie Talbot

16.2 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 49-124 FG, 13-50 3PT, 20-29 FT, -52

Similar to Nurse, Talbot is a seasoned player who may not give you a tremendous performance but won't disappoint you. Probably not enough for a team struggling to win games, but she plays at a respectable level.

Grade: C

Layshia Clarendon

15.9 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 32-75 FG, 7-20 3PT, 20-23 FT, -47

Clarendon missed the final 19 games of the season due to mental health reasons and has since announced their retirement. They had a limited role on the team but were one of the vocal leaders. Wishing them nothing but good luck in their post-WNBA career.

Grade: C

Zia Cooke

8.9 minutes, 3.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, 36-112 FG, 11-37 3PT, 20-29 FT, -58

The minutes for Cooke were few and far between this season. Hopefully, she gets more run next year because there just wasn't much to judge in 2024.

Grade: C

Crystal Dangerfield

12.8 minutes, 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 22-77 FG, 12-39 3PT, 4-6 FT, -88

Dangerfield joined the Sparks on a hardship deal, looking for a role in the WNBA. She found one in Los Angeles and earned a contract for the rest of the season. She wasn't a superstar or anything of that nature, but she provided the team with quality guard play with players like Brown, McDonald, and Clarendon missing significant time.

Grade: C

Curt Miller

In Miller's own words, this team underachieved, which falls on him. This franchise has a long and storied history and record-low victories aren't good or the standard this organization is held to.

Next year will be the last chance Miller has to prove he is the man for this rebuild, or else questions will begin growing louder from the fanbase about who should be running the Sparks.

Winning the No. 1 draft pick and selecting Paige Bueckers would certainly help Los Angeles win some games. We'll have to wait until later in the year to see if the Sparks win the lottery and get the opportunity to draft the generational talent from Uconn.

Grade: C-

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.