Rickea Jackson Has Arrived at Just the Right Time

But it was hard to expect the fourth overall pick in the same draft class to be a major reason why the Sparks are making that aforementioned run.

Rickea Jackson Has Arrived

Rickea Jackson has started to ascend into the star that the LA Sparks always thought she would be.

In the 12 games before the All-Star break , she averaged 15.3 points on 45% shooting. An early sign of her growth happened at the beginning of this stretch in her 30-point, seven-rebound performance against the Las Vegas Aces.

Sparks, Jackson Have Found a Groove

The Sparks’ recent five-game winning streak can be directly attributed to the resurgence of their offense, which has scored 90 or more points in each of those five wins— a first in franchise history.

Following a thrilling victory against the New York Liberty, the Sparks achieved a significant milestone: scoring 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time.

Jackson’s recent hot streak has seen her elevate her game. In the last five wins, she’s averaged 18.2 points (50% FG, 39% 3PT, 80% FT), 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, showing her evolving playmaking skills. 

On July 26, her standout performance against the New York Liberty led the team to a franchise-defining victory.

It certainly felt like the Liberty’s night— the typical rally behind the determination and emotion of losing your star player early in the game. Breanna Stewart pulled up early in the first quarter with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. She was ruled out for the rest of the night.

Facing a 15-point deficit, the Liberty refused to quit. Ionescu’s clutch plays were essential to their rally. She first tied the game with an “and-one” and, after trading buckets, hit a pivotal mid-range pull-up shot with 23.0 seconds left to knot the score at 99.

It wasn’t the Liberty’s perfect comeback that told the story of this game. To prevent the Sparks from getting a clean look at a game-winner, New York fouled, putting the play out of bounds.

With just under .06 left, Julie Allemand inbounded the ball. Dearica Hamby caught the ball just beyond the right wing. Scanning the court, she found Rickea Jackson sealing off Stephanie Talbot under the basket.

In an uncomfortable position, as Talbot was fighting for the ball and leverage to defend the shot, Jackson was able to capitalize and twist the shot in before the buzzer sounded.

A sea of purple and yellow enveloped Jackson just in front of L.A.’s bench. Sparks beat the Liberty 101-99. Jackson was the Sparks’ leading scorer on the night, with 24 points.

Sparks Not Out of the Playoff Picture Yet

The Los Angeles Sparks currently hold a record of 11-15. They are involved in a tight race for the playoffs with only two games separating the tenth-seeded Sparks from the eighth-seeded Mystics.

This offensive output over the second half of the season so far is a direct result of the increasing emphasis on Jackson’s involvement in the team’s offense. If this team can keep up the momentum, there’s no telling how far they can go.

Following her insane game-winner and the Sparks’ recent breakthrough, Rickea Jackson is proving she has the clutch gene and the two-way demon playstyle to lead her team to a whole new stratosphere.

Rickea “‘Bout That Action” Jackson has arrived!