Azura Stevens Has Emerged as a Star

So far this season, she’s shooting a career-high 67.7% on two-pointers. For the first time in her career, she’s averaging more than four made two-point field goals per game.

With 5:12 remaining, Stevens rotated to cover two shooters on the weak side. When the ball swung to the wing for a three, Kathryn Westbeld came crashing in from the corner. It looked like Westbeld had her beat, but Stevens covered the ground in two long strides, snatched the rebound, and fired an outlet pass to point guard Odyssey Sims.

As Sims raced up the floor, Stevens trailed in transition. When Sims attacked the middle, Alyssa Thomas briefly helped off Stevens. Stevens immediately cut behind her defender, caught a pass from Sims, and drew a foul inside. She made both free throws.

So far, Stevens is one of just 11 players in the league who draw over two shooting fouls per game. She’s hitting a career-best 90.5% from the line on 4.2 attempts per game — more than doubling her previous high of 1.9 per game, set during her rookie year in 2018.

Later, the Sparks ran a set play to free Kelsey Plum for a middle ball screen from Dearica Hamby. As Hamby rolled, Westbeld helped off Stevens in the corner. Plum kicked it to a wide-open Stevens, who knocked down the catch-and-shoot three.

In 2023, just 12.8% of Stevens’s three-point attempts came from the corner. That number rose slightly to 18.8% last season. This year, under new head coach Lynne Roberts, 58.8% of her threes are from the corner — and she’s hitting 50.0% of them. She’s shooting 47.1% from three overall.

She’s thriving in her role within the offense. An incredible 44 of her 48 made field goals have come off assists. She ranks third in the WNBA in effective field goal percentage among players with 20+ minutes per game (68.8%) and second in true shooting percentage (74.2%).

Stevens’s Defensive Impact

Stevens has made her presence felt defensively as well.

With 4:26 left in the second quarter, she rotated from the weakside to double Thomas. When Thomas fired a skip pass to the opposite wing, Stevens recovered in time to take away sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb in the corner. The Mercury had to settle for a tough pull-up jumper.

After the Sparks secured the rebound, Stevens sprinted the floor and seemed to cover all 94 feet in just four strides. The 5-foot-10 Whitcomb had to pick her up in transition. Sims lofted a lob, and though Whitcomb jumped to contest it, Stevens easily secured the ball and laid it in.

Moments later, Stevens grabbed another defensive board — one of her 16 in the game. Sims drilled a three in transition and forced the Mercury to call a timeout. The Sparks rattled off a 21–3 run over four and a half minutes, and Stevens was at the center of it all.

She currently ranks third in the WNBA with 8.2 defensive rebounds per game, trailing only A’ja Wilson and Nneka Ogwumike. Last season, she posted a career-high 6.0 rebounds per game. This year, she is averaging 9.2 rebounds – good for eighth in the league.

She’s also one of just 14 players in the league averaging at least one block and one steal per game.

Stevens’s Overall Influence

In the fourth quarter, the Sparks mounted another rally — led by Stevens — but ultimately fell short against Phoenix.

She finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds, going 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Her game score, John Hollinger’s single-game productivity metric, was a career-best 22.2.

Four days later against Chicago, she posted a game score of 23.4 after scoring 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting. She added eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. From 2018 to 2024, Stevens played in 195 total games (including playoffs) and recorded a game score of 19 or more just five times. This season, she already has three such performances in five games.

Despite the Sparks’ 2-3 record, Stevens ranks third in the league in win shares (1.2) and fifth in player efficiency rating (29.2). Coach Roberts has put her in a great position to thrive on both ends of the floor. Her offense flows naturally off the attention that Plum and Hamby draw. Her length and athleticism allow her to disrupt and contest.

As the Sparks get healthy and build chemistry, they’ll continue to challenge opponents.

Azurá Stevens is a major reason why.