LOS ANGELES, CA – Newly appointed GM and head coach Derek Fisher clearly wanted to shake things up this offseason by creating depth and versatility at all positions for the Los Angeles Sparks.
A byproduct of that depth is competition at certain positions, which is not a bad thing either. Players knowing their spots aren’t guaranteed and only 12 spots available for 16 players will get anybody playing a little harder, with more effort, energy, and intensity. Those are qualities that will make any coach smile, because you are getting the most out of your team.
Fisher spoke about how creating a more competitive environment was a priority during the offseason.
“We spent a lot of time in the offseason as coaches needing to do a better job of creating a more competitive environment on a daily basis,” Fisher said. “(We wanted) to make sure that our players can carry that into games night in and night out.”
Fisher believed there was still a balancing act in creating that competition for limited spots but also managing workload.
“That was something we challenged ourselves in and being better as coaches to create a competitive environment everyday,” Fisher said. “And still do that in a way where you balance the physical health and workload on players so that they can still perform at a high level but we have to compete for everything.”
“I think we have done some things right in terms of the right players being in the gym that aren’t forcing us to have to bring the competitive nature in the gym,” Fisher continued. “It’s already there.”
Rookie Stephanie Watts also believes the competition during training camp has been a positive while still learning from her veteran teammates.
“I feel just blessed to have this opportunity to learn from the people here,” Watts said. “Yes, it’s competitive, everyday we are going at each other, but I think that’s part of the learning experience. I get to learn from Erica Wheeler, Kristi Toliver, Nneka (Ogwumike), it’s been a blessing to soak up as much as I can, but also going at each other.”
It won’t be easy for Fisher to widdle down this roster from 16 down to 12 before the first game of the season, but that’s certainly a good problem to have as he tries to re-establish this team’s identity.
