What Brink’s injury means for the rookie, Sparks and USA 3×3

The worst fears about Los Angeles Sparks rookie ahead Cameron Brink’s knee damage have been confirmed Wednesday: She suffered a torn ACL in her left knee and can miss the remainder of the 2024 WNBA season and the Paris Olympics.

It is a crushing blow for Brink, the Sparks, the WNBA and USA Basketball, which should exchange her on the 3×3 roster. Brink was injured within the opening minutes of the Sparks’ loss Tuesday on the Connecticut Solar. The No. 2 decide in April’s WNBA draft, she was off to a strong profession launch with the Sparks, beginning all 15 video games.

Now Los Angeles — which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 and is in what may be known as a franchise refresh with longtime star Nneka Ogwumike now with the Seattle Storm — should transfer on with out Brink. And Brink should cope with the twin disappointments of lacking out on a visit to the Olympics and never having the ability to full the remainder of her rookie season.

The New York Liberty handled an analogous situation in 2020 when No. 1 decide Sabrina Ionsecu suffered a season-ending ankle damage three video games into her rookie season. Ionescu recovered effectively: She returned in 2021, was an All-Star and second-team WNBA decide final season and is a part of the U.S. 5-on-5 Olympic crew this 12 months.

The outlook remains to be shiny for Brink, though that does not present a lot solace for her or the 4-11 Sparks proper now. Here is a take a look at how Brink has performed to this point, the place the Sparks go from right here this season and what Brink’s future may maintain.

How had Brink carried out up up to now of her rookie season?

Pelton: As anticipated, Brink had been one of many WNBA’s high rookies, ranking as a league-average participant straight away. I’ve her third among the many 4 gamers from this 12 months’s draft who’ve carried out higher than alternative stage in no less than 100 minutes of motion:

Particularly, Brink has excelled defensively, blocking a league-high 9% of opponent 2-point makes an attempt. Amongst gamers who’ve defended no less than 40 shot makes an attempt within the paint in response to Second Spectrum monitoring, Brink ranks fifth with opponents hitting simply 51% of these photographs.

Foul hassle was predictably a problem for Brink, who was averaging 6.5 fouls per 36 minutes, however the Sparks can be ok with how effectively she performed earlier than the damage.

Voepel: Brink wanted only a few professional video games to point out she was on her method to being one of many elite shot blockers within the WNBA. Her early comps in blocks have been to gamers like Margo Dydek, Lisa Leslie and Brittney Griner. From timing, anticipation and coordination standpoints, Brink clearly has what it takes to be a rim protector. That is a troublesome factor for the Sparks to lose proper now.

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How do the Sparks regulate to her absence? How does the lineup change? Which non-rostered participant may Los Angeles signal?

Pelton: The silver lining for the Sparks is backup middle Li Yueru has been approaching recently throughout her first prolonged WNBA motion after enjoying simply 82 minutes as a rookie with the Chicago Sky in 2022. Li had a career-high 18 factors at Seattle earlier this month, ending the sport over Brink, and 11 factors on 5-of-6 capturing within the recreation when Brink was injured. Per 36 minutes, her averages of 14.2 factors and 10.6 rebounds are higher than Brink (12.3 and eight.7), though Li is nowhere close to the type of deterrent across the rim as a shot blocker.

Down the highway, Los Angeles might get Azura Stevens again within the lineup earlier than lengthy. When Stevens initially suffered a left arm damage enjoying in China and underwent surgical procedure, the Sparks indicated she’d be reevaluated in 12 weeks. We’ll hit that mark on Friday. Stevens can play both middle alongside Dearica Hamby or energy ahead subsequent to Li.

If Stevens remains to be anticipated to overlook no less than one other three weeks, Los Angeles could be eligible for a hardship exception so as to add a thirteenth participant to the roster. Queen Egbo, lately waived by Connecticut, could be a logical goal. Alternatively, the Sparks might deliver again Hungarian middle Virag Kiss, who was with the crew in coaching camp.

Voepel: Roster selections are all the time tough, and it raised some eyebrows when the Sparks waived Monique Billings earlier than the season. The 6-foot-4 Billings, who performed six seasons with the Atlanta Dream, is a veteran submit presence not straightforward to search out. It was luck for the Dallas Wings, who signed Billings 4 days after the Sparks let her go. She is averaging profession highs of 11.9 factors and eight.8 rebounds now for the Wings.

It is water below the bridge for the Sparks. It is too early to write down off the postseason, however realistically the whole lot simply obtained even harder for Los Angeles. As Kevin stated, Li is promising — she’s simply 25 and is coming off enjoying a season-high 26 minutes on Tuesday. And Stevens could make a noticeable influence each time she returns.

Quite a lot of focus now will go on ahead Rickea Jackson, the Sparks’ different 2024 draft lottery decide this season. The No. 4 choice, she is averaging 10.3 factors and three.6 rebounds. Jackson’s greatest recreation thus far was a 19-point, 10-rebound efficiency vs. the Minnesota Lynx on June 14. Jackson has scored in double figures in 4 of her final 5 video games, capturing 56.1% from the sphere in that span. She’s a gifted scorer who can also be able to being a flexible defender for the Sparks.

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What adjustments does USA Basketball make to its 3×3 roster?

Pelton: Primarily based on FIBA’s 3×3 guidelines, USA Basketball should exchange Brink with one other participant who has ample qualifying factors in 3×3 competitions, that means the USA cannot merely decide Aliyah Boston after she was overlooked of the Olympic roster for the normal 5-on-5 crew.

Moreover, USA Basketball will most likely wish to fill Brink’s spot with one other submit to enhance guard Hailey Van Lith, wing Rhyne Howard and fellow submit Cierra Burdick. Trying via the FIBA particular person rankings, probably the most logical alternative is Hamby, who routinely qualifies by rating among the many high 20 U.S. gamers in 3×3 factors.

Hamby is having an All-Star season within the WNBA — she was among the many picks by ESPN’s Alexa Philppou for the roster that can tackle the USA’s 5-on-5 Olympic crew on this 12 months’s WNBA All-Star Recreation — and brings extra 3×3 expertise than different gamers of that ilk.

If USA Basketball is much less involved about changing Brink’s measurement, Howard’s Atlanta Dream teammate Allisha Grey could be one other robust candidate after serving to the USA win the inaugural 3×3 gold in 2021 in Tokyo. Or the USA might deliver again Katie Lou Samuelson of the Indiana Fever, who was set to be a part of the crew three years in the past earlier than contracting COVID-19 and lacking out.

Voepel: Agree with Kevin: Hamby, Samuelson or Grey seem like the perfect picks to switch Brink, who has put in lots of time with 3×3. It is heartbreaking she’s going to miss the Olympics, one thing Samuelson understands all too effectively.

Final 12 months, Brink was MVP of the FIBA 3×3 Girls’s World Cup in Vienna, Austria, as america gained gold. She additionally competed in two 2023 FIBA 3×3 Girls’s Collection stops because the People have been second in each Montreal and Quebec.

The 3×3 event proved actually in style amongst U.S. viewers in 2021, when Grey, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Younger and Stefanie Dolson gained gold. Younger and Plum are actually on the 5-on-5 crew for Paris, which may be in Brink’s future.

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What does Brink’s future with the Sparks and USA Basketball seem like?

Voepel: As tough as ACL accidents and rehab are, it is one thing numerous gamers have come again from to have excellent careers. Brink could have time to get well and hopefully return for the 2025 WNBA season. And he or she might be a part of the 5-on-5 or 3×3 crew within the 2028 Los Angeles Video games.

Pelton: Brink stays a constructing block for the Sparks, together with Jackson and whoever Los Angeles drafts subsequent 12 months — possible within the lottery. The hope is that this damage occurring comparatively early within the season permits Brink to get again on the courtroom in time for 2025 coaching camp. Take into account that nearly precisely a 12 months in the past (June 20), Connecticut middle Brionna Jones suffered an analogous season-ending damage, an Achilles rupture. Now Jones has performed all 14 video games at her traditional All-Star stage and helped the Solar to the perfect begin in franchise historical past.