Kate Martin’s Reduced Sparks Role Comes With Important Context

When speaking to John W. Davis on August 20, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts was asked about what she's trying to see from younger bench players who will likely be back on the roster next season.

"Yeah, I mean, that's part of it, too. Ownership wants to see the bench play; they want to see what we have, and that's pro sports at this point in the season. So that's intentionality there. And it's a great opportunity for these guys to get out there and play."

Kate Martin hadn't received any game minutes since the Sparks' July 22 game, and only played two minutes in that loss. She then played 12 minutes against the Connecticut Sun on August 18. Therefore, Roberts' response indicated that Martin was part of this intentional effort from the front office to sort of audition their bench players for the future.

Then Martin played just four minutes against the Atlanta Dream on August 20. This was considerably less than the other bench players Roberts was alluding to.

Roberts was asked about this after the Sparks' practice on Monday and said, "I love Kate. She's an incredible member of this team. You know, the rotations are tough with the amount of guys we have in that position... There's a lot of players, and so it's hard to play 12 people," per a YouTube video from John W. Davis.

Roberts was later asked whether one of the reasons why Martin isn't playing as much as other bench players is that she has been in the league longer than the rookies and therefore has more data available on her. Roberts responded by saying, "Yeah, there's some of that for sure."

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin (21) dribbles the ball | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What This Means for Kate Martin's Sparks Future

Initially, the fact that Martin was getting fewer minutes than Los Angeles' other bench players seemed to indicate that she had fallen out of favor, which didn't bode well for her future with the team.

But what Roberts said on Monday changed that reading. Instead, it seems more like Martin's lack of recent minutes is more so because the Sparks already know what they have with her. They're less clear some some other bench players (their rookies include Chance Gray and Jihyun Park, while Monique Akoa Makani has one year of experience), all of whom play a similar position as Martin.

Given how glowingly Roberts has spoken of Martin, it's clear that the Sparks like what they already know about her. While there's no way of telling the future, Roberts' comments suggest Martin's recent lack of playing time may be less concerning for her future than it initially appeared.

At least, that's what Sparks fans are hoping for.

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