Cameron Brink praised for ‘aggressiveness’ against Dominique Malonga

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Cameron Brink praised for ‘aggressiveness’ against Dominique Malonga

Originally posted on WNBA on ClutchPoints
By David Yapkowitz, ClutchPoints | Last updated Aug 30, 2026 11:42 PM ET

The Los Angeles Sparks have strung together a mini-win streak heading into the FIBA World Cup break following their 90-74 win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, and a big reason for the back-to-back victories has been the impact of third-year center Cameron Brink.

In the Sparks’ win against the Storm, Cameron Brink took a career-high in shot attempts with 15, but connected on only three. She was 1-of-6 from the 3-point line, although she did shoot 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Despite Brink not quite connecting on her shot, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts was encouraged by her overall aggressiveness offensively against the Storm, and throughout the season.

“I think she’s figuring out where she can get her shots. Her ability to shoot the three-ball, I think has elevated her versatility. She’s not afraid to shoot it which is great,” Roberts said during her postgame press conference. “I thought she was aggressive, and it wasn’t a great shooting night for her, but I love the aggressiveness.”

While Brink’s offensive versatility continues to develop, her defensive impact continues to be on display on a nightly basis. Against the Storm, she went up against fellow No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga, one of the best up-and-coming young bigs in the WNBA.

Malonga has been averaging 17.0 points, more than double her rookie points per game average, and shooting 48.7 percent from the field. Against Brink and the Sparks, she did reach 17 points, but shot 38 percent overall and missed all four of her 3-point attempts. Brink made it difficult for her around the basket, and even blocked one of her shots straight up.

Brink Blocks Activated! @cameronbrink22 x @WNBA pic.twitter.com/v66fHCYu64

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) August 30, 2026

Brink being aggressive defensively and able to keeping herself out of foul trouble is another big step in her ongoing development.

“I think defensively she was really good defending inside. Malonga is a handful. There were a few times that Cam went head-to-head and got one block on her and did a great job of not fouling,” Roberts continued. “Her minutes are continuing to go up which is awesome, her productivity … we just want to keep pouring into her and she’s just scratching the surface.”

Brink was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but suffered a season-ending knee injury only about one month into her rookie year. She began last season sidelined as she continued her recovery, and did not return to the court until after the All-Star break.

While the former Stanford star has dealt with an ankle injury this year that kept her out for about one month, she’s putting up career numbers while managing to stay available. She’s appeared in a total of 29 games this year, and if she plays in all four of the Sparks’ remaining games, she’ll reach 33, just one shy of her first two seasons combined (34).

And after the Storm win, she reached 572 total minutes played this year. In comparison, she played 573 total minutes in her first two years. With the team entering an offseason amid plenty of questions about the future, what is certain is Brink is definitely one of the Sparks’ building blocks of the future.

This article first appeared on WNBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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