The Kelsey Plum ability Lynne Roberts believes is the WNBA’s best

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks grabbed their first win of the season last Friday, avoiding an 0-3 start, and it was star guard Kelsey Plum who helped lead the way. She finished with a team-high 27 points, 15 of those coming the fourth quarter as the Sparks held off a late rally by the Toronto Tempo. Plum also had nine assists, and it’s her ability to find that balance between playmaking and scoring that Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts believes sets her apart.

On Sunday, prior to the Sparks’ second consecutive game against the Tempo, Lynne Roberts explained why she believes that Kelsey Plum is the best one-on-one player in the WNBA.

“She’s a talent. I think she’s the best one-on-one player in the league in terms of crediting her own shot or shots for others. Her shooting ability makes her a really tough guard. And then her skill, she’s just crafty and so she’s figuring out how to lead this group with her playmaking either for herself or others,” Roberts said.

“I thought she did a good job Friday, she was kind of getting everybody involved. And in the fourth quarter she kind of took over. I think that’s the perfect scenario of using her passing ability or skill, but when the team needs her to go get buckets, she’s able to do that. I think she can play the point or the two.”

Prior to Plum joining the Sparks last season, she shared the backcourt alongside Chelsea Gray with the Las Vegas Aces. Gray was the point guard, arguably the best in the league, while Plum played off-guard. With the Sparks, Plum initially began the season at point guard.

During her introductory press conference, Plum set a goal of finishing in the top-five in the WNBA for assists. She ended up doing just that, essentially tying with Sabrina Ionescu and Jordin Canada for No. 5 with 5.7 dimes per game. But the Sparks’ weren’t able to truly unlock their offense until Roberts inserted Julie Allemand as the on-ball playmaker with Plum settling back into her familiar shooting guard role.

This season, Plum has gone back to the primary point guard role amid the Sparks’ acquisition of Ariel Atkins, a more natural off-guard. The past two games, however, with Atkins sidelined due to being in concussion protocol, Plum’s playmaking ability has come back into focus.

Her on-one-one creation was instrumental in the win last Friday, and she nearly delivered an encore. Despite the loss to the Tempo on Sunday, Plum scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as she attempted to will the team to consecutive wins. She blew past opposing defenders and got the basket, scoring at will.

Following Friday’s win, Plum credited her playmaking to her teammates gaining more comfortability with the Sparks’ system. She plans to continue harnessing that balance between scoring and facilitating, leaning in to whatever the team needs the most.

“It’s funny, I think the first game on film I had like 18 potential assists and we only made two shots, and the next game was like 16. So to be honest, I’ve been playing the same way, we just made them,” Plum told reporters. “That’s just basketball … we’re just trying to find our rhythm and things, but I thought we did a got job of just catching and shooting, not putting it down on the ground.

“In this system, once you start getting comfortable, shots become a little big easier, you kind of know where to expect them. And then it’s a lot more of a flow … My goal is to play like this the whole year in terms of just trying to be very patient and just take what the defense gives us.”

The post The Kelsey Plum ability Lynne Roberts believes is the WNBA’s best appeared first on ClutchPoints.