As the Los Angeles Sparks endure a tough season, the younger members of the squad have been stepping up and displaying their talents when their names are called.
Center Li Yueru and forward Rickea Jackson were the only Sparks players to score in the double digits in their 62-80 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Yueru led the Sparks with 14 points off the bench, boxing out against the WNBA second all-time leading scorer Tina Charles.
“I met her in China before so we know each other,” Yueru said. “I try to learn more on how to defend her and how to let her not get rebounds. She gets a lot of rebounds.”
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Miller noted how Yueru is able to create space and draw the foul.
“She is really humble, she’s a hard worker, she’s really open-minded,” Miller said about Yueru. “Our players love her, our coaching staff love her. She’s just a blessing to have here.”
Jackson poured in 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Miller noted how he kept her in the game for the first 30 minutes of regulation.
“She went over 400 career points as a rookie, she joins an exclusive list of Sparks, of Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, and Lisa Leslie as the only rookies that have done that,” Miller said.
Her 12.6 points per game puts Jackson as the second-highest scorer on the Sparks this season. She also works hard to fix her game. Jackson believes that she is on the rise in the league.
“I feel like I’m never content and I feel like that’s what makes me a star,” Jackson said. “Wanting to get better each and every game, each and every practice, I feel like that is what is going to take me over top.”
Jackson also noticed improvements within herself on the defensive end.
“With the guards in this league, I don’t like when they score on me, it honestly bothers me,” Jackson said. “I’ve been more intensive guarding them, trying to chase them off screens more.”
Miller wanted the game to be a teaching moment for the Sparks. He wanted the Sparks to score on the fast break, but the lack of defensive rebounding kept the team from being competitive.
“I want an attitude, a culture of growth. I want a culture that doesn’t separate when it gets tough,” Miller said. “What’s really important to me is how we’re responding to runs in the game and how do we step back up.”
