Sparks veteran guard Ariel Atkins has been one of the key voices that’s kept the team together amid a tough season.
The Los Angeles Sparks are in the midst of a five-game losing streak following their 85-77 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday to end a three-game road trip. It’s been a roller coaster season filled with plenty of ups and downs and it’s almost at an end with 10 games remaining on the schedule. But as bleak as things have looked at times, the Sparks have been buoyed by their veteran core, among whom is veteran guard Ariel Atkins.
Throughout the season, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts has credited her veteran locker room with maintaining the team’s overall spirit and keeping their competitive fire alive despite whatever odds are stacked against them. Ariel Atkins, or ‘Steady Eddie,’ as Roberts refers to her as, has played her role in making sure of Sparks’ will has never wavered.
Following the team’s loss to the Sun, Atkins was very candid about how she’s been able to use her voice and leadership amid what’s been a very trying season.
“Truthfully, it’s been hard because I haven’t played the way that I want to play. But I think at the end of the day we all have experience in that locker room,” Atkins said during her postgame press conference. “Everybody has experience for something, and being one of the older players, I think it’s important to have steady voices in the locker room.”
It’s been a tough season for Atkins who was expected to give the Sparks a major boost in the lineup on both ends of the floor. She’s been a prolific 3-point shooter throughout her career and is always among the league’s better perimeter defensive players.
But the 2019 WNBA champion has struggled to find a consistent rhythm with the Sparks this year. She’s shooting only 37 percent from the field and 29 percent from the 3-point line, both of which are career-lows. The Sparks have also been one of the worst defensive teams in the league, currently 13th in defensive rating at 113.6.
As someone who has prided herself on leading by example rather than with her voice, this season has presented a bit of a dichotomy for her.
“For me, it’s really a growth point for me. It’s something that my team asks from me all the time, is to speak up more and to use my voice more,” Atkins continued. “It’s just something you have to do and always be a steady person. But at the end of the day, I think my actions speak louder than my words and I think that’s the biggest part when it comes to leadership for me personally.”
The Sparks acquired Atkins in an offseason trade with the Chicago Sky that involved Rickea Jackson in a straight one-for-one swap. The move was thought to make the Sparks closer to being a playoff contender along with the free agency signings of Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler.
And while the season has not gone as anticipated, Atkins has joined her teammates in fighting through the adversity as best they can.
“You don’t really have a choice. I think at the end of the day we all have to understand there’s a bigger picture. That’s kind of what I’ve been hanging my head on. I haven’t been the player that I want to be this season,” Atkins said. “I can’t be too down on myself and also can’t be too down on my team. I think at the end of the day the goal is to continue to push through and find a way to fight. And that’s what we’re going to do every day.”
The Los Angeles Sparks are in the midst of a five-game losing streak following their 85-77 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday to end a three-game road trip. It’s been a roller coaster season filled with plenty of ups and downs and it’s almost at an end with 10 games remaining on the schedule.