With the WNBA Draft set for Monday, April 14, it’s that time of year again to see how the LA Sparks plan to improve the squad
The WNBA Draft is rapidly approaching for the LA Sparks – taking place Monday, April 14, 2014 in Bristol, Connecticut. The Sparks are looking at two picks in this upcoming draft. None of them are in the first round, as they have an eleventh pick in both the second and third rounds.
The Sparks are probably not really that worried about the draft, mainly because of their draft positions, the talent level of the incoming draft class, and the fact that they have an already stacked roster. Nevertheless, the Sparks will look to still get two productive players and cash in on their draft picks.
If you really think about the needs that the Sparks have to fulfill, there are not that many holes to fill in the draft based on the talent that is on the team’s roster. According to the WNBA website, there are not that many talented seniors that are coming out into this year’s draft. The talent pool is not as deep as it was in last year’s draft that surrounded around the likes of Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne, and Skylar Diggins. With that in mind, here are three players that the Sparks could be looking to draft and add to their loaded roster.
1. Chiney Ogwumike – PF, Stanford
The sister of Nneka, the Sparks’ top pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, Chiney has come into her own at Stanford, where she led the Lady Cardinal to the Final Four they fell to Connecticut in the Final Four this season. She averaged 25 points and grabbed 11 boards per game and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year. However, this pick is unlikely to happen because of the fact that she will be chosen within the first few picks.
2. Odyssey Sims – PG, Baylor
Another highly-touted prospect that the Sparks could take a glance at, Sims is a 5’8″ point guard has hit over half of her shots and is the key in most of the fast break plays that Bears run. She played with Griner and helped lead the Bears to a National Championship in 2012. Another player that might be gone in the early part of the draft.
3. Chelsea Gray – G, Duke
Gray is a 5’11” guard and was the driving force for the second-ranked Duke Blue Devils. She had averaged 12 ppg, while averaging five rebounds, and also dishing out eight assists. She is probably the most possible prospect that the Sparks could grab and tried to fit into their rotation. Either way, this draft doesn’t have the same buzz as it did last year. Outside of Sims and Ogwumike, the draft seems to be a wide open field of role players.
Copyright 2015 SportSpeak LLC, all rights reserved. For more coverage, follow @SportSpeakLA and @SportSpeakOC on Twitter.
